On July 25, 2022 the Opening Ceremonies for the fourth International History Olympiad commenced, bringing together people from twenty-eight states, fifteen countries, and the territory of Puerto Rico. The ceremony began with a procession of flags, starting with the United States and New Jersey flags, and then proceeding in alphabetical order. As the competitor carrying the flag of Alabama, I was the first state to begin the procession. It is difficult to express the amount of pride I felt as I walked across the stage, representing my state. The International History Olympiad is a prestigious competition, and an honor to attend.
After the procession, Executive Director of International Academic Competitions (IAC) David Madden gave a speech in which he described his exuberance at the representation of so many different places across the country and world, including the expansion of operations in Poland and Ecuador. Ecuador went from not having history competitions run by IAC at all, to running a televised national championship and sending competitors to Internationals. IAC has smoothly bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic to run a well-functioning, prestigious competition.
David Madden proceeded to announce future competitions, including the next International History Olympiad in 2023, most likely in Quebec City, the International Geography Championship in 2024 in Ecuador, and a variety of new competitions that will be held in the summer of 2023 in locations like Italy and Austria.
As the Opening Ceremonies conclude, International Academic Competitions and its staff wish all competitors good luck as the first events begin!
Katherine Spusta
Varsity, Alabama