IYPT 1992

IYPT 1992 – Protvino, Russia

(24th June – 1st July 1992)

Overview

The 5th International Young Physicists’ Tournament was held in Protvino, Russia, amid the first post-Soviet era of independence for many former USSR republics. The tournament featured four Selective Physics Fights, followed by a Final Physics Fight to determine the winners. For the first time, some teams were known to have used computers for visual presentations, marking a turning point in the technical level of the tournament.

Participation

• Dates: 24th June – 1st July 1992
• Venue: Protvino, Russia
• Number of Teams: 12
• Number of Countries/Regions Represented: 10

Participating Teams

• Belarus 🇧🇾
• Czech and Slovak Federal Republic 🇨🇿🇸🇰
• Georgia 🇬🇪
• Hungary 🇭🇺
• Kazakhstan 🇰🇿
• Moldova 🇲🇩
• Netherlands 🇳🇱
• Poland 🇵🇱
• Russia – Moscow SUNC MGU 🇷🇺
• Russia – Novgorod 🇷🇺
• Russia – Buryatia 🇷🇺
• Ukraine – Odessa Richelieu Lyceum 🇺🇦

Planned Venue: Italy was originally considered as the host but the plan did not materialize.

Format and Regulations

• Structure:
  • 4 Selective Physics Fights
  • No Semi-Finals
  • 1 Final Fight
• Final Problems:
  • All 17 problems available in the challenge procedure during the Finals
• Scoring System:
  • Max score per PF: 60
  • Max total after 4 PFs: 240
  • Final Fight presentations extended to 20 minutes, interpreted consecutively
• Languages:
  • Russian was the primary working language
  • Interpreters for English were provided by the OC
  • Diplomas in Russian; non-Cyrillic names preserved in original spelling

Notable Firsts:

• First confirmed use of a laptop for visual aids (Netherlands)

Finals – June 30, 1992

Place	Team	Accepted Problem	Score	Outcome
1st	Belarus	No. 9 – “Fountain”	55.5	🥇 Gold
2nd	Czechoslovakia	Unknown	54.0	🥇 Gold
3rd	Netherlands	Unknown	51.0	🥈 Silver
4th	Russia – Moscow SUNC MGU	Unknown	49.6	🥈 Silver

Overall Results After 4 Selective PFs

Rank	Team	TSP4	Final SP	Medal
1	Czechoslovakia	199.4	54.0	🥇 Gold
2	Belarus	196.9	55.5	🥇 Gold
3	Netherlands	195.1	51.0	🥈 Silver
4	Russia – Moscow SUNC MGU	193.7	49.6	🥈 Silver
5	Hungary	192.1	—	🥉 Bronze
6	Georgia	189.2	—	🥉 Bronze
7	Ukraine – Odessa Richelieu Lyc.	188.1	—	—
8	Poland	186.3	—	—
9	Russia – Novgorod	183.8	—	—
10	Moldova	180.5	—	—
11	Russia – Buryatia	178.0	—	—
12	Kazakhstan	159.7	—	—

Organizers

• Head of Organizing Committee: Evgeny Yunosov
• Chair of the Jury: Alexei Yarov
• International Observers: None confirmed

Miscellaneous

• Teams were ranked using a confirmed ranking system to select Finalists
• The challenge procedure was applied during Finals for all 17 problems
• Diplomas were awarded with Latin characters preserved for non-Cyrillic names
• The final Reports were 20 minutes long due to consecutive translation
• There were no semi-finals despite the increased number of teams

Historical Context

• This was the first IYPT held after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991
• Newly independent countries like Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Ukraine participated under their own flags
• The competition reflected growing regional identities and emerging national academic networks in post-Soviet space