RI Students Win Gold Medals in Asian Physics Olympiad

Jakarta - Indonesian students won two gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal during the Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO) 2012 held in India from April 30 to May 7, a source reported. "Among the students in our team this year are Limiardi Eka Sancerio and Erwin Handoko (gold medals), Samuel Wirajaya (silver), and Imawan Wicaksono and Albert Datui (bronze)," stated Yohanes Surya, the Indonesian team's coach in the APhO 2012, here on Monday. The APhO has its origins in the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), an annual event first started in Warsaw in 1967 as a premier physics competition for pre-university students from around the world. In 1999, Dr. Yohanes Surya, the team leader of Indonesia, together with Prof. Waldemar Gorzkowski, the late President of IPhO, undertook to create and organize the first Asian Physics Olympiad, which was held in Indonesia in April 2000. This event attracted participation from 12 Asian countries. Its successful implementation has been replicated by the subsequent host countries of Taiwan (2001), Singapore (2002), Thailand (2003), Vietnam (2004), Indonesia (2005, second time), Kazakhstan (2006), China (2007), Mongolia (2008), Thailand (2009, second time) and Taiwan (2010, second time). (*)