Loud applause during the closing ceremony with excitement and appreciation

Updated：2023-07-22

On the afternoon of July 12, the closing ceremony of the 64th International Mathematical Olympiad Japan was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba.
The ceremony began with a retrospective VTR of the event, showcasing the opening ceremony's group photo, images of contestants heading to their competitions, and scenes from post-competition excursions, all displayed on a large screen.

After speeches by Chiba City Mayor Shun-ichi Kamiya and Professor Takahiko Fujita from Chuo University, the highlight of the closing ceremony, the award ceremony, took place. First, Gregor Dolinar, the President of the IMO Board and a professor at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, delivered his overall remarks, followed by the announcement of the recipients of the Honorable Mention, awarded to participants who achieved perfect scores on at least one of the problems, displayed on the slides. Next, the bronze, silver, and gold medals were presented. These recipients ascended the stage, holding their respective national flags and mascot dolls, to receive their awards, and the venue erupted in continuous applause.

Following the presentation of the Maryam Mirzakhani Award, given to outstanding female contestants, one from each of the five major continents, the ceremony concluded with special recognition by Gregor Dolinar for the five participants who solved the exceptionally challenging Problem 6, a subject of lengthy discussion during the problem selection committee meeting. The people warmly praised these five outstanding achievers for their remarkable feats.

As a symbolic gesture, the Japanese team and the team from the United Kingdom, the host of next year's IMO, took the stage for the IMO flag handover ceremony. A representative of the Japanese team passed the IMO flag to one of the UK team. A humorous VTR introducing British culture, the hosting location of Bath University, entertained the audience with laughter. Professor Takahiko Fujita delivered the closing remarks, and the 1.5-hour closing ceremony ended. Following the ceremony, the participants gathered at a nearby hall for the Farewell Party, where they further deepened their exchanges.