Mathematical games: international mathematics olympiad for students

In this study data from the International Mathematics Olympiad for students held in 2008/2009, 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 are analyzed. The first Olympiad analyzed consisted of only personal competitions, while the two following Olympiads consisted of both personal and group competitions held at different dates. Data on participation and achievements were received at the institutional level for the first two Olympiads and at the disciplinary level only for the last Olympiad. Thus, the entire analysis was conducted only at the institutional level. Over the past three years, nearly 2,500 students from 24 countries and 124 institutions of higher education took part in the Mathematics Olympiad. A group competition was first held in the 2009/2010 Olympiad and was very popular among the participating schools. Last year, 43% of the participating schools took part only in the group competition. Russia and Romania lead the list of participants and winners by country. Although the number of participating schools has remained constant over the past two years, 42% of those who participated in 2010/2011 did so for the first time. In addition, every year, there is a high percentage of schools who do not return in subsequent years. In Israel, there has been a dramatic decline in the number of schools taking part in the Olympiad and most participating students are from the Ariel University.