Students who won bronze medals and an honourable mention at the 53rd International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) 2021 representing Sri Lanka were recognised recently at an award ceremony organised by the c (COSL) committee of the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon (IChemC). This event was held on 14th December 2021 at the IChemC headquarters. Senior Professor Sudantha Liyanage, Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura grace this occasion as the Chief Guest. Three bronze medalists Nadun Naveendra Rajapaksha (Dharmaraja College, Kandy), Kelambi Arachchige Achira Hansindu (Mahinda College, Galle) and Manujaya Praveen Wijesinghe (Royal College, Colombo), and Dinithi Shalika Madhubhashini (Southlands College, Galle) who won an honorable mention at the IChO 2021 awarded with the medals and certificates received from Japan.

Furthermore, the winners of the National Chemistry Olympiad competition held in May 2021 also received their awards and certificates from the Chief guest at this event. Prof Srianthie Deraniyagala, the President of the IChemC welcomed the gathering and congratulated the winners for bringing honour to the country. Dr. Ireshika De Silva, Chairperson of the COSL committee presented a brief introduction to the Chemistry Olympiad competition. She said she is very happy and proud about the achievements of the team and thanked the committee members for voluntarily conducting online training workshops for students. The Chief guest, Prof Sudantha Liyanage explained the importance of science education and congratulated the team for the outstanding performance at the IChO 2021.

After the presentation of awards each of the winners addressed the audience and expressed their experiences in representing Sri Lanka in the IChO 2021. They all thanked the mentors who trained them with immense dedication. Also, they mentioned that though there is a big gap between the A/L chemistry syllabus and the International Chemistry Olympiad content due to the training they received they were able to make this achievement. They invited youngsters to take part in future Chemistry Olympiads as they can develop their logical and critical thinking skills which will help their future academic career.

Two mentors Drs Chinthaka Ratnaweera and Ireshika De Silva, invigilators of the remote examination and committee members were also recognised at this event. Dr Upul Kumarasinghe, Secretary of the committee delivered the vote of thanks to end this ceremony. This is the 2nd time in history a Sri Lankan team participated in the IChO. The Sri Lankan team won three bronze medals and an honourable mention in the IChO 2020 too. The COSL committee is eagerly waiting to select a team for the 54th International Chemistry Olympiad which will be held in China in 2022 and expect even better performance from the team.

Applications are being called for the preliminary round of the Sri Lankan National Chemistry Olympiad 2022. Students who are following Chemistry as a subject for the GCE Advanced Level (local or UK) can apply for the preliminary selection examination. Those who sit for the GCE (A/L) in February 2022 for the first time can also apply. Application deadline is 31st December 2021. The preliminary selection examination will be held in mid-March in 2022 after the Advanced Level examination through an online platform. Before the preliminary examination applicants will be invited to an online Chemistry teaching camp. Based on the results of the preliminary selection examination the COSL committee will select 30-35 applicants for the final round of the National Chemistry Olympiad examination.

National level gold, silver and bronze medal winners will be recognized at the Annual Sessions of the IChemC and will receive scholarships to follow the BSc Honours degree programme in Chemical Science offered by the College of Chemical Sciences of the IChemC. Also, best four performers who are below 20 years of age as of July 1, 2022 will be eligible to represent Sri Lanka at the 54th International Chemistry Olympiad. Those who are interested in participating the National Chemistry Olympiad competition can visit the COSL website through the https://www.web.ichemc.edu.lk/cosl/ for more details.

Dr Ireshika De Silva
Chairperson
Chemistry Olympiad Sri Lanka