Grady Kenix: IMO 2022 Report
For the first time in the last three years, the IMO was held in person, in Oslo, Norway. It was a great deal of fun. This is a report on what myself and the NZ team got up to.
Christchurch
“Your name is NZL-1” - Ross
My name is NZL-1, from when I get to Norway until at least until the end of the IMO. I met up with Ross and Josie at the Christchurch airport, and flew up to meet the rest of the team in Auckland, NZ’s math capital. However, as it turned out, I never got to meet the entire rest of the team - one member had some issues with his passport, and ended up sitting the IMO remotely - in Mongolia.
Auckland
“U.S.A! U.S.A!” - nobody, unfortunately
I grab some Dunkin’ Donuts, which the team eats in the airport lobby while the leaders are figuring out what to do about the passport situation. Then we head off. The total flight time is insane - something like 20+ hours. However, this allows me to consume some in-flight media - in particular, Morbius (2022), a cinematic masterpiece well known for its box office domination and incredible critical acclaim. Several other team members also watch Morbius, probably because it is such a great piece of film.
Dubai
“I can’t think of any good quotes about Dubai” - me
We also stop off in Dubai, where we meet the Australian team in a happy coincidence. We also have Starbucks, which is remarkable only in that the barista managed to misspell every single one of our names.
Somewhere over the Arabian Sea?
“Let’s do drugs” - Eric, next to armed airport security
I enjoy dancing - it is a great mode of transport. My dancing onto the plane is noticed by some air hostesses, who invite me to the back of the plane and supply me with a great quantity of dental kits and some interesting conversation. I then find out that I am an Air Emirates silver member, which is news to me and almost certainly a computer error. I am also now the world #1 ranked Emirates membership salesman, having sold Brian a membership and therefore having 100% deal-closing efficiency over my salesman career. All in all a great experience, and I still have the dental kits. If any of the air hostesses ever happen to read this (unlikely), that was one of the best parts of the trip, and I hope it all works out.
Norway
“I’m already full gay, I just want to murder you” - Brian, context unclear
We arrive at the hotel, and spend some nights there. I room with Brian Zhao in room 214, which he christens the “Valentine's Day room”. We also share a bed. It is great fun.
The trip passes mostly in a blur from here. There are too many activities to record, so I will instead note down some general themes:
- A good amount of time spent with the Dutch team, including a running race
- Some shopping trips
- Some dates with Brian (these things just tended to happen)
- The regular punctuation of the mock IMO exams, which I manage to fail in rapid succession
- An endless search for the Chilean team
- Some really great food, including a recurring raspberry cake
And then we arrive at the IMO.
IMO DAY 1
“Zsigmondeez nuts” - everyone
The first day of the IMO goes surprisingly well for me. The problems are combinatorics (on monovariants), algebra (another Q2 inequality, though nothing like last year!), and number theory. I solve the first two.
IMO DAY 2
“NOO WHAT HAPPENED” - Misha
The second day of IMO does not go so well. I stress out massively and end up munching Reese’s cups in a state of total panic for 4.5 hours, realizing with each passing second that I had one second less for the IMO 2022, which only increased the breakdown. This is an excellent moment to shout out May, who provided me with said stress-munching Reese’s cups, and is additionally super cool.
Also, the number theory problem was apparently solvable with Zsigmondy’s theorem. Tragically, I don’t think anyone actually solved it that way, least of all me. I ended up solving exactly nothing, though I squeezed a point out of some garbage I wrote on the aforementioned number theory problem. Oh well.
Norway, continued
“The IMO is over. It doesn’t matter if you hurt yourself anymore” - Ross (paraphrased)
This is the time for celebration. Brian, Eric 3, and myself do quite a bit of this celebration. We spend some time with a large number of South and Central American teams, playing blackjack and dancing.
In the end, I wandered around Oslo for a few hours with a 7-11 panini, reminisced on the last couple of years, and watched the sun rise over the harbor. Some time after that, the IMO concluded, and with it the trip. The rest of the team returned to Auckland, and I met with my family to travel to America.
Reflection on the trip as a whole, from Denmark with love
“[removed], I’m so funny” - Brena
I don’t believe that a pseudo-formal and possibly overlong report on this topic could ever do justice to the absolute joy which infused every waking moment of the trip. Suffice it to say that this was an incredible experience, and I am very grateful to the NZMO organization for a very interesting two years of mathematical olympiads, as well as for providing the gateway to an equally incredible peer group. Thank you all so much.