At a time when many Nepali were celebrating the Dashain festival, a group of Nepali youths was busy conducting an International Astronomical Olympiad in Nepal.
First of its kind in Asia, the event was organized jointly by the Nepal Astronomical Society (NASO) and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. It was attended by 21 groups of young scientists and researchers from 19 countries.
It is the third Olympiad, which was held in Europe twice earlier.
NASO chairperson Suresh Bhattarai informed that the Ministry of Social Development of Bagmati Province had supported for organizing such an international program.
Bhattarai, however, complained that although the federal ministry was mentioned as co-convenor, no official from the ministry attended it nor extended any assistance.
The Olympiad kicked off on October 3, the day the holiday began for Dashain festival and many educational institutes closed. Many students were in festival celebrations.
However, some students were engrossed in making successful the third international Olympiad on astronomy and astrophysics. The program concluded on October 10.
The Olympiad was attended by the school students from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Malaysia, Romania, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Ukraine, and UAE.
The groups coming up with excellence were provided medals and certificates.
The attendants appeared in both theoretical and practical exams on astronomy and astrophysics.
Based on exam results, China, Czech Republic, and India got two gold medals each while Bulgaria and Thailand got one gold medal each.
The medals were provided under 'best in observation' and 'best in theory' categories.
In total, there were 70 medals including eight gold, 11 silver, 13 bronze, and 28 honorary for the competition.
The group competition was held by dividing the attendants into 16 groups.
In the event Nepal organized, Italy participated for the first time.
President of the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, Aniket Sule, observed that Nepal is a home to diverse cultures and the world's highest peak, the students could be inspired to foster ambition in life.
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