IYPT 1991
IYPT 1991 – Moscow, Soviet Union
(22nd – 28th July 1991)
Overview
The 4th International Young Physicists’ Tournament was hosted again at the Olympiets Youth Center, outside Moscow, with the Final Physics Fight held at the Department of Physics, Moscow State University. This edition featured three Selective Physics Fights (in parallel groups), no Semi-Finals, and a Final Fight to determine the winners.
Despite a turbulent political climate, the event saw continued international participation and was one of the earliest IYPTs where all teams were reportedly awarded medals, further encouraging inclusivity and recognition.
Participation
- Dates: 22nd – 28th July 1991
- Venue: Olympiets Youth Center & Moscow State University
- Number of Teams: 7
- Number of Countries: 6 (or 7, depending on how one recognizes Moscow vs. the USSR in July 1991)
Participating Teams
- Czech and Slovak Federal Republic 🇨🇿🇸🇰
- United Kingdom 🇬🇧
- Republic of Hungary 🇭🇺
- Netherlands 🇳🇱
- Republic of Poland 🇵🇱
- USSR – Moscow SUNC MGU 🇷🇺
- USSR – Soviet Combined Team 🇺🇸 (USSR flag)
Expected but absent: teams from Germany, Spain, and Finland
Observers: France and Italy (non-competing teams), Joseph Depireux (European Physical Society)
Format and Regulations
- Structure:
- 3 Selective Physics Fights (parallel groups)
- 1 Final Physics Fight
- No Semi-Finals
- Final Problems:
- A shortened list of 5 finalist problems was pre-published
- No challenge procedure was applied in the Finals
- Ranking Criteria:
- Total score across 3 PFs (max 180 points)
- Jury rankings based on cumulative performance
- Scoring Details:
- Max points per PF: 60
- Max total points: 180
- Languages:
- Russian was the de facto working language
- English translation and interpreters were provided by the LOC
- Problems and diplomas available in Russian and English
Finals – 27th July 1991
| Place | Team | Final Problem | Score | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Hungary | No. 4 – “Self Excitation” | ? | 🥇 Gold |
| 2nd | USSR – Soviet Combined | No. 16 – “Sunset” | ? | 🥈 Silver |
| 3rd | Poland | No. 5 – “Cosmic Monument” | ? | 🥈 Silver |
The exact scoring details from the Finals remain unknown, but team outcomes were confirmed.
Overall Results After 3 Selective PFs
| Rank | Team | SP1 | SP2 | SP3 | TSP3 | Rank (TR3) | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungary | ? | ? | ? | 159 | 9 | 🥇 Gold |
| 2 | Poland | ? | ? | ? | 152 | 8 | 🥈 Silver |
| 3 | USSR – Soviet Combined | ? | ? | ? | 143 | 8 | 🥈 Silver |
| 4 | USSR – Moscow SUNC MGU | ? | ? | ? | 152 | 7 | 🥉 Bronze |
| 5 | Netherlands | ? | ? | ? | 140 | 7 | 🥉 Bronze |
| 6 | United Kingdom | ? | ? | ? | 138 | 6 | 4th place |
| 7 | Czech and Slovak Fed. Rep. | ? | ? | ? | 133 | 6 | 4th place |
Note: An observer’s report (INPE) may have miscorrected Hungary’s total score from 159 to 142; the original value is retained above.
Organizers
- President of IOC (likely): Sergei Chudinov
- Vice-President of IOC: Evgeny Yunosov
- Head of Organizing Committee: Evgeny Yunosov
- Chair of the Jury: Sergei Chudinov
Miscellaneous
- All teams were recognized as winners and received ranked placements
- Diplomas issued in Russian, with awards marked using traditional letter codes:
- Т = Gold
- Ю = Silver
- Ф = Bronze
- A representative of the European Physical Society attended the tournament
- Five finalist problems were pre-selected from the original 17-problem set
- The tournament was described in Bulletin de l’Union des Physiciens, providing one of the few contemporary Western accounts of IYPT 1991
Historical Context
- The Soviet Union remained officially intact, but key republics such as Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic States were increasingly asserting autonomy
- By late 1991, the USSR would dissolve, making this the final IYPT held in the Soviet era