Euro-Asian Astronomical Society
The International Astronomy Olympiad

The Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad

• What is A P A O ? For the first time visitor of the APAO site.
  
  
• The 16^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Postponed to September-December 2023
  
  
• The 15^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Tehran, December 15-23, 2019
  
  
• The 14^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Lijiang, November 24 - December 2, 2018
  
  
• The 13^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Novosibirsk, November 22-29, 2017
  
  
• The 12^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Goheung, November 17-25, 2016
  
  
• The 11^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Dhaka, November 13-22, 2015
  
  
• The 10^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Irkutsk, November 24 - December 2, 2014
  
  
• The 9^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Tomohon, November 23 - December 2, 2013
  
  
• The 8^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Cox's Bazar, November 26 - December 4, 2012
  
  
• The 7^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Aktyubinsk, November 7-15, 2011
  
  
• The 6^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Karubaga, November 24 - December 5, 2010
  
  
• The 5^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Damyang October 7-14, 2009
  
  
• The 4^th Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Bishkek, November 16-23, 2008
  
  
• The 3^rd Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Xiamen, November 21-29, 2007
  
  
• The 2^nd Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Vladivostok, December 4-11, 2006
  
  
• The 1^st Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad - Irkutsk, December 4-11, 2005

Founding of the Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad

Last decades alongside with realisation of six International (all-the-world) Science Olympiads (http://olympiads.win.tue.nl/) on some continents were founded and began to be conducted regional international olympiads, in particular:

• Ibero-American Mathematics Olympiad - since 1985.
• Asian-Pacific Mathematics Olympiad - since 1989.
• Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad (CIS and nearest states) - since 1992.
• Asian Physics Olympiad - since 2000.
• European Union Science Olympiad - since 2003.

Last years a few organisers of the National Astronomy Olympiads in Asian countries and team leaders coming to the International Astronomy Olympiad (IAO), stated wishes to strengthen a role of Asia. The team leaders complained that in their countries very many high school students wish to participate in international astronomy events, that in order to encourage students who do not qualify for the full international programme (International Astronomy Olympiad) some regional programme may invite teams equivalent of second best teams from these countries. Also it would promote astronomy education in their countries and emphasise importance of science education.

There is also interest of East regions of Russia to be more involved into international programmes and to cooperage with other Asian countries.

It means that there are good conditions to found and start realise a new annual astronomy-educating event. So the Board of the Euro-Asian Astronomical Society decided to found the Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad (APAO) and would like to announce that the first such olympiad to be Siberia (Asian part of Russian Federation) in the first decade of December 2005 (a month later than the X IAO in Beijing).

The Chairman of the International Astronomy Olympiad Dr. M.G.Gavrilov has founded the APAO on April 25, 2005.

The Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad has been founded as a "daughter" ("affiliated") olympiad in system of the International Astronomy Olympiad. For the initial period of APAO realisation the Chairman of IAO (Dr. M.G.Gavrilov) will coordinate the organisation of APAO as well in a position of Founding Chairman of the Olympiad.

Founding of the Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad has been approved and ratified by the Board of the Euro-Asian Astronomical Society on June 1, 2005. EAAS Board also approved the first steps of organisation of the First APAO in Siberia in December 2005.

The basic conceptual principles of realisation of the APAO should coincide principles of the IAO (see Statutes of IAO: http://www.issp.ac.ru/iao/statutes/iaoar_e.html). The important features of APAO are:

• The APAO is carried out annually in the period after the IAO till the end of calendar year. Since 2009 the APAO may be also organized in the period since August till IAO organization. There should be a gap of at least half a month between the end of one event and the beginning of another.
• Countries-participants: the countries of Asia and Oceania; more actual the boundaries of the territory are defined as: at West - as the geographical-administrative boundaries of Asia and Europe/Africa, at East: till approx. the 219° (141°W) longitude. The countries partially disposed in this region (in Asia: Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey..., in Oceania: USA) may participate with the teams which members live in the Asian or Oceanic territory of the countries.
• The Olympiad participants are not supposed to study at any institutions of higher education (university or school which can be considered technical colleges). Students who finished their school examination in the year of the Olympiad cannot be members of a team even if they did not start university studies.
• Only students did not participated (will not participate) at the IAO of current year may participate in the APAO (that is during a year a student may participate in IAO or in APAO but not in both of them).
• It was three (age) groups of participants at the I APAO (mu, alpha, beta), and two groups (alpha, beta, like in IAO) at the II – XV APAOs. In the future it maybe three groups (to be discussed later).
• As an exception, with the purposes of promote of Astronomy Olympiads, teams from outside Asia and Oceania may participate in APAO in the following cases:
  – team represents a country never (or long ago: ~5 years ago) participated either in IAO or APAO;
  – team represents host region of the current year IAO;
  – team represents a country, which failed to participate in the current year IAO, IOAA, IPhO or IJSO by non-Olympic reasons.