The 34th edition of the International Biology Olympiad concludes its activities in Al Ain

The activities of the 34^th edition of the International Biology Olympiad (IBO), hosted by the United Arab Emirates and organised by the Ministry of Education in cooperation with its strategic partner the United Arab Emirates University, over a period of eight days, from 3 to 10 July wrapped up its activities in Al Ain city today.

The closing ceremony was attended by H.E Dr. Ahmed bin Abdullah Hamid Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education, H.E Dr. Amna Al Dahhak Al Shamsi, Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 34th edition of the International Biology Olympiad – the Assistant Undersecretary for the Care and Capacity Building Sector at the Ministry of Education, and Prof. Ahmed Murad, Associate Provost for Research at the United Arab Emirates University, Dr. Lenka Libersova, Chair of the Executive Committee of the International Biology Olympiad, and Dr. Saber Muzaffar, Chairman of the Academic Committee of the 34th edition of the International Biological Olympiad.

In his speech during the closing ceremony, H.E Ahmed Belhoul Falasi welcomed the students, jury members, specialists, researchers, experts in biology and all those who participated in this prestigious Olympiad hosted by the UAE and for the first time in the Arab world, in a new affirmation of the UAE’s position and global leadership in the field of Education.

His Excellency said: "The UAE is moving forward towards achieving its vision of becoming one of the most productive countries for science and knowledge by creating an environment that stimulates scientific research and investing in youth by providing them with the necessary skills, science and knowledge to enable them to be future leaders, and to contribute to consolidating the position of the UAE among the best countries in the world."

Dr. Belhoul added: “International competitions such as the International Biology Olympiad play a major role in establishing a culture of creativity, innovation and scientific research. They also support the concepts of cognitive excellence among students to be the nucleus of scientists, researchers, innovators and inventors who are able to face the rapid and steady changes that the world is witnessing today and keep pace with the requirements of the future.”

His Excellency congratulated the talented contestants who won this competition, which is one of the most important competitions in the field of biology in the world, which witnessed the participation of more than 320 talented students in biology from 80 countries united in their passion and competing positively with each other for success, leadership and excellence, along with 300 jury members and elite experts in biology from around the world.

For his part, H.E Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to H.H the President of the UAE – Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University, praised the success of the activities of the 34th edition of the International Biology Olympiad. He pointed out that the UAE has become a destination for science, research and academic activities thanks to the great development witnessed by its research universities.

His Excellency noted that the participation of the UAEU as a strategic academic partner in organizing this global scientific event will enhance its leading scientific research position and will motivate students, professors and researchers specializing in biology to further excellence, scientific research and creativity.

His Excellency described the Olympics as an opportunity for the sons and daughters of the UAE to develop their scientific and research capabilities in the field of biology, which is in line with the keenness of the wise leadership of the UAE to invest in human capital for the advancement of society, building a competitive knowledge-based economy, and achieving more records in the field of human development at the regional and global levels. He said: "From this standpoint, the UAEU is keen to adopt creative and innovative ideas and develop the skills of young men and women through its future strategic plans to achieve the vision of the wise leadership of the UAE, the UAE Centennial 2071 and to build a solid future based on the best international scientific practices.”

For her part, H.E Dr. Amna Al Dahak Al Shamsi confirmed that this edition of the Olympic was distinguished by its consistency with the best international practices and trends in the field of sustainability. She said: “We were keen to automate the tests to be conducted via computers instead of paper-based tests, which contributed to dispensing with printing more than 65,000 paper pages to be used for testing purposes. We also hosted the green education conference on the sidelines of the Olympiad to enhance awareness and enable participants to contribute innovative solutions to combat climate change. This comes in line with the UAE's approach, which affirms that climate action is one of the main pillars of its national economic strategy and its internal and external policies. It is also consistent with the efforts made in the UAE to reduce the repercussions of climate change, promote green Education, raise the level of environmental awareness of the UAE community and promote a culture of sustainability in educational institutions in preparation for the UAE’s participation in the 28^th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28), which the UAE is honoured to host this year.”

Dr. Al Shamsi added that the mechanism for performing, managing and evaluating the tests was improved and developed in this edition of the Olympiad, which contributed to saving the time allotted for that and allowed the students participating in the tests and those in charge of managing and evaluating them more time for rest and entertainment, as the students had the opportunity to visit some important cultural and entertainment landmarks in the UAE.

Dr. Al Shamsi congratulated the competitors for their valuable contribution during the Olympiad and expressed her confidence that many of the participants will continue to forge new paths in biology and related fields, and make discoveries that will play a prominent role in improving the quality of life and protecting the environment.

The activities of the 34th edition of the International Biology Olympiad, which is the most important international competition in the field of biology, witnessed many intensive tests that challenged the knowledge and critical thinking skills of students, in addition to a series of workshops that contributed to enhancing the spirit of friendship, cultural exchange, and intellectual growth among participants, as well as forming long-term friendships, broaden their horizons, and spark their curiosity to explore the wonders of biology.

The closing ceremony witnessed the announcement of the names of the winners of the competition, who deservedly occupied their seats on the international platform of the International Biology Olympiad. India and Singapore came out on top with four gold medals each, while China, Taipei and the future Olympic delegation came in second place with three gold medals.

The UAE recorded its first victory in the International Biology Olympiad after Emirati student Reem Rashid Al Naqbi won the bronze medal in the competitions.

It should be noted that the contestants in the IBO underwent a total of six tests during the competition period, including the first and second theoretical tests which were implemented via a computer. The questions revolved around topics related to animal and plant anatomy, physiology, cell science, microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, ecology, behavior, and biological systems while the other four tests included experiments on biochemistry, plant molecular biology, bioinformatics, ecology and ethics.

At the end of the ceremony, the official flag and trophy of the International Biology Olympiad were handed over from the UAE to Kazakhstan, the host country of the event in 2024.