ASU News

The fifth South Russian Mathematical Olympiad “Assara” officially opened at Adyghe State University. This year, 52 schoolgirls from 21 regions of Russia, as well as from Abkhazia and Uzbekistan, are taking part.

The participating regions and territories are the Republic of Adygea, the Republic of Dagestan, the Republic of Ingushetia, the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, the Republic of Kalmykia, the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, the Chechen Republic, the Lugansk People’s Republic, the Donetsk People’s Republic, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, Astrakhan Oblast, Volgograd Oblast, Kurgan Oblast, Moscow Oblast, Rostov Oblast, Samara Oblast, Sevastopol, Tyumen Oblast, and the federal territory of Sirius. Adygea is represented by eight participants.

“Our Olympiad is unique in Russia. It is more than a competition—it is a platform that encourages and supports girls in pursuing science. We design the program to help participants broaden their horizons, better understand themselves, and see how mathematics can open up career opportunities and contribute to social mobility.

“Participants also have the opportunity to meet women who have built successful careers through mathematics, discover inspiring new projects, and learn how professional achievement can go hand in hand with family life and motherhood. We have seen that this format resonates widely. Over the past five years, the South Russian Mathematical Olympiad ‘Assara’ has grown beyond southern Russia. It now brings together talented schoolgirls with a passion for mathematics from across the country and abroad,” said Daud Mamiy, Rector of ASU.

The Assara Olympiad, named after Adygea’s southernmost mountain peak, aims to promote competitive mathematics among girls, foster their interest in the subject, identify and support talented schoolgirls, and encourage their intellectual development and career planning. First held at the Sirius Educational Center in 2022, the Olympiad brought together participants from Russia and Abkhazia. Since then, it has taken place each May in Maykop at Adyghe  State University.

The Olympiad is organized by Adyghe State University (ASU), the Republican School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (RESH), and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Adygea, with support from Sberbank. At the opening ceremony, participants were welcomed by ASU Rector Daud Mamiy; Adygea Minister of Education and Science Evgeny Lebedev; and Kirill Sukhov, chair of the Olympiad jury, head coach of Russia’s team at the International Mathematical Olympiad, and head of ASU’s Laboratory of Technologies for Teaching Mathematical Ideas.

“On behalf of the Cabinet of Ministers, I would like to welcome everyone to the Republic of Adygea. This is not the first time we have held this Olympiad; it has already become a tradition. I hope we will continue to organize and host it in the years to come. I wish all participants every success and hope that everyone accompanying them enjoys a wonderful stay,” said Evgeny Lebedev.

Participation in the anniversary Olympiad was open to promising participants from the previous year’s competition and to students admitted to the November 2026 mathematics program at the Sirius Educational Center. Eligible students also included winners and runners-up in the final rounds of the 2025–2026 All-Russian School Olympiad in Mathematics (Grade 9) and the Euler Olympiad (Grades 7 and 8), as well as schoolgirls admitted on the special recommendation of the council in recognition of their achievements. Participation is free of charge; the organizers cover accommodation, meals, and the cultural and educational program.

The Olympiad consists of two in-person rounds, scheduled for October 10 and 11. Participants compete in two age groups: the Junior League for eighth-graders and the Senior League for ninth- and tenth-graders. Each round comprises four problems. Participants have three and a half hours to complete the Junior League tasks and four hours for the Senior League tasks.

Leading figures in the Olympiad movement will evaluate the solutions. The jury will include members of the All-Russian School Mathematics Olympiad jury, medalists from previous mathematics Olympiads, university professors, and directors of specialized educational programs.

The jury also includes several accomplished women mathematicians: a student at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at St. Petersburg State University; a teacher of supplementary education at Presidential Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 239 in St. Petersburg; a 2023 gold medalist at the International Mathematical Olympiad; a 2023 gold medalist at the Romanian Mathematical Olympiad; and a two-time winner of the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (2022 and 2023).

The jury members include:

• Alisa Alekseevna Volkova; a lecturer in the Department of Discrete Mathematics and the Department of Algorithms and Programming Technologies at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University);

• Irina Evgenievna Klimanova; an associate professor at the Faculty of Mathematics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics and a winner of the final round of the All-Russian School Mathematics Olympiad;

• Karine Gergievna Kuyumzhiyan; a teacher of supplementary education at Presidential Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 239 in St. Petersburg and a member of the jury of the All-Russian School Mathematics Olympiad; and

• Alina Renatovna Sukhova; Teacher at the State Budgetary General Education Institution "Presidential Physics and Mathematics Lyceum. 

The winners and runners-up will be determined through individual competition and ranked on a leaderboard. Gold, silver, and bronze medalists will receive medals and corresponding diplomas.

Alongside the competition and a review of the tasks with the jury, participants will take part in a rich educational and cultural program designed to broaden their horizons. Activities include excursions to Maykop and Asya Eutykh’s “Golden Treasury”; a visit to the Mathematical Park; a sand-painting masterclass with Mezaga Tesheva; a Caucasian yoga class with Zaur Zhane; a meeting with designer Tatyana Frolova; a lecture titled “Girls’ History: Traditions and Modernity” with Nafiset Kidakoeva; and a concert by the band “Slovar Otzhigova,” featuring lead singer Kristina Horvat.

The Olympiad will conclude on October 13. During the event, participants will have the opportunity to discover new ideas, explore mathematics as a potential career path, and make new friends.