IYPT 1989

IYPT 1989 – Moscow, Russia

(24 March – 2 April 1989)

Overview

The 2nd IYPT was held in conjunction with the finals of the 11th Moscow YPT and the 2nd All-Soviet YPT. While early stages focused on national pre-selections, the international rounds were organized separately with foreign teams joining later in the competition.

The event built on the foundations laid in 1988, this time with a clearer international structure and the establishment of an official International Organizing Committee (IOC) shortly afterward.

Organization

• Venue: Olympiets Youth Center; possible Finals held at the Physics Department of Moscow State University
• Structure: Two international final groups (Group A and Group B), separate from the Soviet rounds
• Problems: Core problem set (a translated English version circulated)
• Regulations:
  • Report – 7 minutes
  • Opposition – 3 minutes
  • Review – 2 minutes
  • Durations doubled if translation was used
  • Home-assigned problems for the Finals (analogous to Correspondence Round problems)

Participation

• Number of teams: 8
• Countries represented (7):
  • Bulgaria 🇧🇬
  • Czechoslovakia 🇨🇿🇸🇰
  • Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) 🇩🇪
  • Hungary 🇭🇺
  • Netherlands 🇳🇱
  • Poland 🇵🇱
  • Soviet Union (Moscow School 710 and Odessa Station of Young Technology Amateurs)

Working Languages

• Primary: Russian
• Support: Interpretation into English and occasionally German
• Notable presentations: One team (Poland) reportedly presented in Polish
• Materials: All official documents, diplomas, and booklets were in Russian. Team names appeared both in original spelling and in Cyrillic transliteration.

Finals – 31 March 1989

Group A (Jury: E. Yunosov)

Place	Team	Selected Problem	Score	Outcome
1	Bulgaria	No. 9 “Astronaut”	31.6	Winner
3	Moscow School 710	Unknown	31.4	—
5	Netherlands	Unknown	30.8	—
7	Hungary	Unknown	29.4	—

Group B (Jury: T. Korneeva)

Place	Team	Selected Problem	Score	Outcome
2	West Germany	Unknown	31.5	Winner
4	Odessa Station Tech. Amateurs	Unknown	31.3	—
6	Czechoslovakia	Unknown	30.7	—
8	Poland	Unknown	29.1	—

Results

• Gold Medals:
  • Bulgaria (Group A winner)
  • West Germany (Group B winner)
• Silver & Bronze:
  • Disputed in historical accounts. Some sources list Moscow School 710 as silver, and Czechoslovakia, Netherlands, Poland as bronze—though this conflicts with handwritten rankings.

International Organizing Committee (IOC)

Following the tournament, the first IOC meeting was held on April 3–5, 1989, to prepare the 3rd IYPT (expected in Czechoslovakia).

Founding IOC Members Included:

• Georgiy Zatsepin – Elected IOC President
• Evgeny Yunosov – Vice-President
• Representatives from:
  • Czechoslovak National Committee of YPT
  • Soviet Union
  • Participating international countries
  • Physicists and educators (e.g., Nikolaev, Alminderov, Ermolaeva, Koroteev, Korneeva, Kusenko)

Miscellaneous

• Participants contributed to handwritten tournament newspapers
• Updated and detailed regulations introduced greater clarity in structure and timing
• Max score per Physics Fight (PF): Estimated to be 33 points (based on 5.5 per jury per role)

Historical Context

• The Soviet Union was still intact, although geopolitical tensions were increasing
• Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland remained socialist republics
• Germany remained divided; this was the last IYPT held before the fall of the Berlin Wall later that year