[Update: Wed 17 June 2020]

Dear friends of IOI,

The IC of the IOI held their 4th online meeting on 13th June. We had quite a few constraints to overcome in deciding the dates for IOI2020. In short, we wanted (1) to not overlap competition days with IMO, (2) to keep IOI to a one week event, (3) to allow for extra time between practice day and 1st competition day in case something goes wrong, and (4) to take into consideration of the host’s available resources.

After a lengthy discussion and thanks to our Singapore host for their flexibility, the official IOI 2020 week is set to be 13th-19th Sept., but with an additional day of 23rd Sept. for final GA meeting and a virtual closing ceremony. Detail of the schedule and registration information will come from the host soon.

The IC has also formed a subcommittee and is currently looking into possible online proctoring practices. Announcement will be made when more information becomes available.

Stay safe and Best wishes,
Greg Lee
IOI President

===========================================
Prof. Greg C Lee, PhD
National Taiwan Normal University
Executive Vice President &
Distinguished Professor of Computer Science
Email: leeg@csie.ntnu.edu.tw
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[Update: Thu 11 June 2020]

Dear Friends of IOI,

We trust that you are managing well during this difficult period as the world fights the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The IC of the IOI held their 3rd online meeting on 6th June. We have the following important updates to share with the community.

First, IOI 2020, organized by Singapore, will be held online around the end of September 2020. We are in communication with organizers of IMO 2020, which is now moved to an online competition on 21st and 22nd September 2020.  The IC, along with the Singapore host organizers, are still working out many details, including technical and execution, concerning this special online IOI 2020. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Secondly, IOI 2021 will be hosted by Singapore onsite, from Sunday, 20th June 2021 to Sunday, 27th June 2021. We are presently in communication with the ICPC Headquarters who have postponed their ICPC World Finals 2020 to Wednesday, 23rd June 2021.

We are scheduling our activities so that the actual IOI 2021 contest days, being on Tuesday, 22nd June 2021 and Thursday, 24th June 2021, are not concurrent with the actual ICPC World Finals 2020 contest day on Wednesday, 23rd June 2021.

At any rate, there are no students who can qualify for both IOI 2021 and ICPC World Finals 2020. Unfortunately, some IOI committee members and team/deputy leaders may also be involved with ICPC World Finals; we will work together to support the affected individuals.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact the IOI Secretariat at secretary.ioinformatics@gmail.com.

Stay safe and best wishes,

Greg Lee
IOI President

[Update: Tue 26 May 2020]

[Update: Tue 24 Mar 2020]

Dear friends of IOI,

As we are all aware, the international situation with COVID-19 is unpredictable and is changing rapidly. However challenging, all countries are united to fight the battle against this invisible foe. In this difficult time, our thoughts are with you all, and especially with those that have lost their dear ones in this pandemic around the world.

In the best interest of the health and well being of all IOI participants, The IC and the Singapore hosts have met online on March [21] to evaluate the current situation. As a result, we have the following information
to share with the community:

1. IOI 2020 will NOT run in July as planned.
2. We are still aiming to have IOI2020 on-site in Singapore if at all possible. As a backup plan, we are looking seriously for an online IOI.
3. In whatever form it runs, IOI 2020 will not take place any earlier than September 2020.

We hope this new information will give you flexibility in making plans for selecting teams. The IC and hosts will continue to meet monthly, and we will keep you all updated as things develop further. If you have any questions, please contact the IOI Secretariat at secretary.ioinformatics@gmail.com.

Stay safe and Best wishes,
Greg Lee
IOI President

[Update: Sun 15 Mar 2020]

Dear all team leaders/coordinators,

Nine days are a long time in a COVID-19 pandemic world since we sent IOI 2020 invitation letters to all of you on Fri, 6 March 2020. Back then, there were ~100K cases worldwide (with 90K+ in a few countries/regions) and us, the host Singapore, was still in the top 10 affected countries. Our stand at that point was: Unless there is a substantial deterioration in the situation, IOI 2020 will continue as originally scheduled and planned.

As of today, there are 160K cases [worldwide] and Singapore is now [low on] the list of worst affected countries/regions. This signals the beginning of "exponential growth" of this pandemic in many parts of the world. Various social distancing efforts to "flatten the curve" worldwide, which we all should do to protect our loved ones especially the elderly, will ultimately prolong this pandemic period. The question is whether the stretch will be (far) beyond late April 2020 -- we elaborate on this cutoff time below.

As of today, the situation in Singapore itself remains under control but tighter measures are being applied. The notable new measures that will directly affect IOI 2020 planning are new travel restrictions and new social distancing advisory on [large] gatherings over 250 [people].

We, the organisers of IOI 2020 in Singapore, won the bid for hosting rights back in IOI 2015 Kazakhstan. Since then, we have been working hard in the past 4.5 years to make IOI 2020 happen in July 2020 as planned.

19 July 2020 is still 125 days from now and things may improve by then (or not). But we cannot make a go/no-go decision as late as early-July as teams need to deal with flight bookings that provide cancellation/rebooking options, travel restrictions (see IATA latest information), difficulties in getting health/travel insurances, potential 14 days quarantine upon arrival, etc. As the organisers, we also need to commit to pay venue/accommodation/IT infrastructure/food/event organisers/various fees by late April 2020. Beyond which, it is a point of no return for postponement as our budget will already be heavily exhausted on the non-refundable parts of various contracts.

IOI 2020 organizing committees are currently discussing various contingency plans with the IOI International Committee (IC). We, together with the IC, are still intending to give our final go/no-go decision no later than 30 April 2020.

Meanwhile, we plan to update the IOI community periodically on this matter, as a few days are a long time in pandemic "exponential growth" stage.

With this 15 March 2020 update, we also would like to have a quick survey. Please give a few minutes of your time to help us plan this IOI 2020. The survey form can be accessed here.

Stay safe everyone.

Regards,

Associate Prof Tan Sun Teck
IOI 2020 Executive Director

 

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

Please refer to this website for the latest information on Singapore's border control measures in response to the COVID-19 situation.

 

MEASURES AT NUS

IOI 2020 Organising Committee, the National University of Singapore, has put in place a set of precautionary measures to mitigate the potential risks in light of COVID-19 and to keep students, staff, and visitors safe and healthy. These measures are consistent with the recommendations provided by Singapore's Ministry of Health and the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education.