Over 200 high school students from 45 countries – the highest number of participants so far – are taking part in the International Economics Olympiad (IEO) 2021. Hosted by Latvia, the Olympiad will be held online from 26 July to 1 August.

“For Latvia and the University of Latvia, the honour to host the Olympiad is the highest acknowledgement of our work on the Olympiad Board, in the Council and the jury panel. We are determined to do our best to make this year’s competition an unforgettable adventure for the young talents from around the world both in terms of acquiring new knowledge and new friendships!” says Professor Gundars Bērziņš, Dean of the Faculty of Business, Management and Economics (FBME) at the University of Latvia (UL).

In this year’s Olympiad, the following 45 countries will be represented by their national teams of five students: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Columbia, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, USA, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

The IEO Opening Ceremony will take place on 26 July, but the Closing Ceremony and winner announcement will be held on 1 August. The participants will be addressed by the President of Latvia, Egils Levits, and the hosts of the Olympiad.

In 2021, the IEO takes place for the fourth time. Since its launch in 2018, the Olympiad has been hosted by Russia and Kazakhstan. The Olympiad will include individual competitions in the form of a simulation game in financial literacy, tests of knowledge in economics and its practical application, as well as team competitions in developing the best strategy to solve a practical business situation.  

The members of the Latvian team are Andris Dalbiņš and Jēkabs Gritāns (Riga State Gymnasium Nr.1), Valts Vītums-Jaunzems (Engineering High School of Riga Technical University), Roberts Ralfs Vārslavs (Jelgava Spidola Gymnasium) and Emīls Šmits (Eastern Latvia Technology High School). In 2020, all members of the Latvian team received medals, ranking fourth among the national teams. In 2019, the Latvian team won six medals, but in 2018, Latvians won the first prize, proving to be the best among all teams of the first IEO.

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