Bangladesh’s success at IEO 2022

International Economics Olympiad (IEO) is an annual competition for high school students that intends to stimulate their interest in the field of economics, business, and finance through a creative problem-solving approach. This year, more than 200 students from 43 teams participated in the prestigious event.

The competition was hosted by China and team Bangladesh bagged two medals. Riz Mohammed Hossain Khan, from SFX Greenherald International School, won the first silver medal for Bangladesh while Farhan Mashrur, from Mastermind School, won a bronze. The team also included Muhammed Arham Chowdhury, from International Hope School of Bangladesh, and Ariyen Islam and Samah Ayana Kabir from Scholastica School.

IEO consists of a financial literacy game, an economics exam and a business case. The game asks contestants to survive through 30 turns by carefully growing their capital, using basic financial tools.

Participants need to account and manage personal money flow, keep a check on expenses, pursue a financial goal, save money and make strategic investment choices. The economics exam assesses the participants' knowledge of fundamental economic theories and models, as well as their analytical abilities and interest in the subject. Finally, the business case segment is a team competition that ends with a presentation round.

The national team for IEO was chosen by the Bangladesh Economics Olympiad (BDEO) after three rounds of rigorous selection. The team also completed a month-long training for the international tournament, and was led by Md Al-Amin Parvez, President, BDEO and Akhtar Ahmed, Coach, BDEO.

The author is a medical student and a freelance journalist who likes reading, scribbling, and blogging. Email: [email protected].