In ancient Greece, the Ekecheiria — a sacred truce — was meant to suspend warfare during the Olympic Games, honoring the spirit of peace, competition, and shared humanity. In the twenty-first century, however, neither Russia nor Israel has shown any willingness to halt their campaigns of destruction, even during international events meant to celebrate youth and excellence, such as the Olympic Games in Paris (2024).
The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) — a much smaller but symbolically significant event — has been no exception. It was held in England in 2024, and the 2025 edition is currently underway on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. Neither war paused for the sake of young minds. And yet, just as in the world of sports, the international responses have been starkly unequal: Russia was swiftly suspended from participation after its invasion of Ukraine, while Israel has faced no consequences whatsoever, despite more than twenty months of war in Gaza, described by experts and institutions worldwide as genocidal. This campaign has targeted civilians, hospitals, universities, and even the children who still dare to dream of mathematics. It has resulted in the deaths of more than 57,000 Palestinians — over 2.7% of Gaza’s population — including more than 17,000 children, over 9,000 women, and more than 4,000 elderly people. Hundreds of thousands more have been injured or forcibly displaced.
The IMO Board resorted to a range of tactics to uphold this double standard, despite widespread indignation within both the IMO and the broader mathematical community. In May 2024, Melih Üçer — a young Turkish mathematician, former IMO medalist, observer, and trainer — raised a pointed internal email to the IMO Board and Jury members, highlighting the grave moral issue posed by the ongoing genocide in Gaza and how this crisis is further compounded by the IMO’s stark double standard in its treatment of Israel compared to Russia. In response, the IMO Board acted swiftly during the July 2024 competition to amend the regulations, inserting a repressive clause: “No one may take advantage of the IMO for political purposes.” The aim was clear: to shut down any meaningful debate — and, more importantly, to block any initiative to suspend Israel’s membership. Delegation leaders reported a pervasive climate of fear, intensified by the new rule. Even the most cautious attempts to mention Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza were quickly suppressed. Many feared that speaking out could jeopardize their delegation’s ability to participate the following year.
In light of the IMO’s continued unwillingness to take meaningful action, a petition was launched in April within the mathematical community, highlighting the procedural maneuvers used by the IMO Board to block or sidestep substantive debate. The petition calls for the suspension of Israel’s membership in the IMO as a state, while allowing its students to compete as individuals — as was done in the case of Russia. It has gathered over 700 signatories, including Fields Medalists Timothy Gowers, David Mumford, and Cédric Villani, along with numerous IMO contestants and team leaders from around the world.
Despite earlier promises that the IMO Board would address the petition in May, the president later deflected responsibility, stating in a June Guardian article that only the IMO Jury — not the Board — should decide on suspensions, and that such a decision might be made at the July meeting in Australia. He justified this shift by referring to a new “proper” governance structure he claims to have established since assuming the presidency in 2023. Yet no such structure was needed when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022: at the time, the Board acted within three weeks, invoking the Force Majeure clause, proposing a resolution, and setting up an electronic vote — which the Jury promptly approved to suspend Russia’s membership.
In response to the IMO’s persistent refusal to take meaningful action, a new petition was launched in June within the mathematical community, proposing a draft resolution for the IMO Jury to consider. It calls for the suspension of Israel’s membership in the IMO as a state, while allowing its students to participate as individuals — following the precedent set with Russia. The petition quickly garnered 500 signatories.
The “Olympic Truce” in ancient Greece was meant to ensure that athletes, artists, and spectators from warring city-states could travel safely to Olympia and participate in the Games without fear of violence or harassment. Today, that sacred spirit lies in ruins. Two Palestinian teenagers were prevented by Israel from attending the IMO in person—both last year and again this year. They trained under unimaginable conditions: confined to crowded shelters without reliable access to water or electricity, studying on a single phone, often on empty stomachs. Even basic supplies like paper and pens were out of reach — one of them had no paper at all and could only type his work, unable to write anything by hand. All this while living under the deadly shadow of Israel’s genocidal war. Will the IMO Board and Jury remain silent about their ordeal—and the ordeal of their people—simply because they are Palestinians?
Ahmed Abbes