Magnus Arrojado wins gold for PH at int’l math competition

Three Ateneo de Manila Grade School mathletes won medal awards for the Philippines at the International Kangaroo Mathematics Competition (IKMC), which was held online on March 19, 2022. Magnus Arrojado (3-Pulog) led the Ateneans with a gold award in the lower primary division, while Ethan Alferez (4-Maniago) and Julian German (4-Sumakwel) both received silvers in the middle primary division. The medals won by Magnus, Ethan and Julian are among the 79 golds, 249 silvers, and 472 bronzes harvested by the Philippines in the IKMC.

Originating in France in 1991, the IKMC has over the years attracted contestants from countries such as Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Catalonia, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, and Vietnam. In 2014, over six million students from 60 countries took part in the contest worldwide.   

The IKMC’s main purposes are to promote mathematical thinking and to stimulate an interest in math by providing students with an opportunity to broaden their minds and compare their abilities against those of other students from across the world.