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Saudi Team Clinches 4 Awards at International Chemistry Olympiad 2024

The Saudi chemistry team has secured four international awards at the 56th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Riyadh. SPA
The Saudi chemistry team has secured four international awards at the 56th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Riyadh. SPA
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Saudi Team Clinches 4 Awards at International Chemistry Olympiad 2024

The Saudi chemistry team has secured four international awards at the 56th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Riyadh. SPA
The Saudi chemistry team has secured four international awards at the 56th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Riyadh. SPA

The Saudi chemistry team has secured four international awards at the 56th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Riyadh.

The achievement adds to the Kingdom’s overall count from previous participation in this annual event to 15 silver medals, 28 bronze medals, and 2 certificates of appreciation.

The 2024 edition of the International Chemistry Olympiad, running from July 21 to 30, saw the participation of 333 students from 90 countries.

King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity—Mawhiba—Secretary-General Amal Al-Hazzaa attributed this success to the support of the Kingdom’s leadership in advancing the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

She emphasized that this backing aims to instill confidence in young talents, preparing them to excel in global competitions and nurturing a creative generation capable of engaging in scientific discourse and envisioning the future.

Throughout the Olympiad, students undertook two main exams—practical and theoretical—translated into over 50 languages, within a fiercely competitive setting.

In addition to the academic aspect, the event also featured an engaging program for students and supervisors, including cultural excursions to heritage and tourist sites, offering insights into Saudi culture.

Themed “Build the Bonds,” the hosting of the International Chemistry Olympiad in Saudi Arabia underscores the global excellence of Saudi students and reinforces the Kingdom’s standing as a premier international hub across diverse scientific disciplines.

Launched in 1968, the International Chemistry Olympiad has been held annually in various nations, serving as the largest international competition in chemistry for high-school students worldwide.

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Night at the Mewseum: Ancient Egypt Exhibition Welcomes Cats

Shanghai Museum held its first ancient Egypt cat night for felines and their owners © AGATHA CANTRILL / AFP
Shanghai Museum held its first ancient Egypt cat night for felines and their owners © AGATHA CANTRILL / AFP
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Night at the Mewseum: Ancient Egypt Exhibition Welcomes Cats

Shanghai Museum held its first ancient Egypt cat night for felines and their owners © AGATHA CANTRILL / AFP
Shanghai Museum held its first ancient Egypt cat night for felines and their owners © AGATHA CANTRILL / AFP

A queue of glamorous visitors stood outside Shanghai Museum twitching impatiently, tails flicking and whiskers quivering as they waited to be let in for the institution's inaugural ancient Egypt cat night.

Feline tickets for Saturday night's event sold out within days, as Shanghai's devoted pet owners seized the chance to share an educational experience with their animals -- and share the photos on the mostly pedigree cats' personal social media accounts.

One pet owner told AFP she had postponed a trip to Europe to ensure she could nab one of the 200 available tickets for her regal ginger "son".

Trump -- named for his physical and psychological resemblance to the US presidential candidate -- was dressed as a Chinese emperor, and blinked haughtily as journalists flocked around him with cameras.

"I cannot imagine my life right now without a cat," his owner Amy told AFP. "So I really can have the same feeling why Egyptian persons, they valued cats on such a level."

The number of pets in China has soared, reaching over 120 million in 2023, and cats are the most popular.

The trend is being driven largely by younger generations, many of whom see their "furred kids" as a cheaper substitute for human children, experts say.

Shanghai Museum is capitalizing on that interest -- Saturday's event, heralded as a first in China, is just one of 10 planned cat nights.

As the guests of honor filed in, perched on shoulders or peering out of handbags, they had their vaccination and insurance records checked before they were transferred into a fleet of specially designed kitten-eared prams.

Claire, who had dressed herself and her German Rex Tiedan in matching Egyptian costumes, said the exhibition showed "cats have always been humans' good friends".

"Now young people are under great pressure, cats help us relieve a lot of mental pressure... probably the same as in ancient times," she said.

Cats were considered sacred in ancient Egypt, and associated in particular with Bast, a goddess of fertility, birth, and protection.

"In the modern world, kitties are a symbol of cuteness, which is very different from (ancient Egypt)," said a young woman named Feifei, clutching a resplendent white furball named Sticky Rice.

That cuteness has led to a surge in feline influencers and hopefuls.

Many of the cats at the exhibition had their own social media accounts, and one or two appeared to have small teams helping produce content.

A section on Saqqara, a historic necropolis where archaeologists recently unearthed dozens of cat mummies and artefacts from a newly discovered tomb, was filled with confused mews as the star visitors were photographed next to a Bast statue.

"There are many ancestors of cats here, I wanted to bring (Sticky Rice) to have a look," said Feifei.

Like most of his fellow felines, Sticky Rice seemed largely unmoved by the historical experience.