OTTAWA, Ontario -- Six of Canada's best high school mathematics students have been chosen to represent their country at the 41^st International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The IMO is the world championship mathematics competition for high school students and is being held this year in Seoul (Korea) from July 13 to 25, 2000.

"The six students have demonstrated the exceptional problem solving skills, understanding and creativity that is vital to compete against the very best at the international level," said Dr. Graham Wright, Executive Director of the Canadian Mathematical Society, the organization responsible for the selection and training of Canada's IMO team. "They represent the potential of students across the country and will be excellent mathematics ambassadors for Canada".

The six students -- David Arthur, Upper Canada College, Toronto, Ontario; Daniel Brox, Sentinel Secondary School, Vancouver, British Columbia; Denise Cheung, Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute, Toronto, Ontario; Keon Choi, A.Y. Jackson Secondary School, Toronto, Ontario; David Goodman, Kelvin High School, Winnipeg, Manitoba; David Pritchard, Woburn Collegiate Institute, Toronto, Ontario -- were selected from among more than 200,000 students in grades seven to 13 (plus CEGEP) who participated in local, provincial and national mathematics contests. David Arthur and David Pritchard were members of the Canadian team to the 1999 IMO in Bucharest, Romania. They both won a Bronze Medal.

The Canadian team members, who must be less than 20 years old when they write the IMO competition, will be pitting their skills against some 500 of the world's best students from 85 countries. The IMO competition paper, which is set by an international jury of mathematicians, will be written on Wednesday, July 19 and Thursday, July 20. The contest consists of two exams, each consisting of three questions on each day with a time limit of four and one-half hours. "It is a mathematical hexathlon and these are our Canadian mathletes," commented Wright.

The team will be accompanied by Team Leader, Dr. Andrew Liu (University of Alberta) and Deputy Team Leader, Dr. Christopher Small (University of Waterloo). The Deputy Leader Observer, Ms. Viktoria Mineva (Alberta International College), will also be a member of the Canadian delegation.

Canada first sent a team to an IMO competition in 1981 (Washington, USA). Since then, Canadian students have done very well receiving a total of nine gold, 22 silver, and 43 bronze medals. At last year's IMO in Bucharest (Romania), the Canadian team placed 32^nd out of the 83 competing countries and won three bronze medals.

As part of World Mathematics Year 2000 and to commemorate the 20^th anniversary Canada has been competing at the International Mathematical Olympiad, the 2000 Canadian IMO team will be introduced at a special Canadian Olympiad Reunion Luncheon at The Old Mill, 21 Old Mill Road, Toronto on Sunday, June 11, 2000 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Past medal winners, dignitaries, family and friends will be present at this unique luncheon.

"These competitions are one way of making mathematics education more relevant, challenging and fun for students," said Dr. Daryl Tingley, University of New Brunswick (Fredericton) and Chair of the CMS Mathematical Competitions Committee. "They provide Canadians with the opportunity to measure their abilities against the best in the world."

The six students will be attending a special IMO Training Camp at Simon Fraser University (June 30^th to July 15^th ). They will leave Vancouver for Korea on July 15^th and return to Canada on July 25^th.

Sponsors of the 2000 Canadian team include: the Ontario Ministry of Education; the Quebec Ministry of Education; Alberta Learning; the Canadian Mathematical Society; Sun Life Financial; the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, the Fields Institute for Research in the Mathematical Sciences; the Samuel Beatty Fund; the Department of Mathematics, Simon Fraser University, the Department of Mathematics, University of New Brunswick at Fredericton, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Calgary, the Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Ottawa and the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing, University of Waterloo.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Graham P. Wright
Executive Director
Canadian Mathematical Society
Tel: Office: (613) 562-5800 ext 3528
Cell: (613) 290-3046
Email: director@cms.math.ca

Dr. Daryl Tingley
Chair - MCC Committee
Department of Mathematics
University of New Brunswick - Fredericton
Tel: (506) 453-4768
Email: daryl@unb.ca