IPhO2023 Second Circular and Call for Team Registration

April 2023

Dear Colleagues,

The 53^rd International Physics Olympiad (IPhO2023) will be held from July 10 (Mon) to 17 (Mon), 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. We are experiencing the pleasure of receiving pre-registration from about 90 countries/regions. Given the relatively calmed down situation of COVID-19 in Japan and elsewhere, we are happy to announce that IPhO2023 will be held as an on-site face-to-face event for the first time in four years. 

IPhO2023 Website:  The official website of IPhO2023 is https://international-physics-olympiad2023.com/en/. 

Pre-Registration Status
The following 83 countries/regions have made pre-registration to IPhO2023:

The following 8 countries have expressed their intention to join IPhO2023 either as observer country or guest team:

Team Registration Site:  The Team Registration (Full Registration) site now open can be reached from the IPhO2023 website ipho2023.jp/en via the pull-down menu under COMMUNICATION. The password for access to the Registration form is sent to the contact person of each team (usually the first leader). Please complete registration by May 15 (Mon) or (in case the domestic selection takes longer) at the earliest date. We cannot take responsibility for any disadvantage or inconvenience due to delay in the team registration.

The Team Registration Form is somewhat lengthy, as we need to collect detailed information on each of the participants. We appreciate your cooperation and patience in filling out the Form. After you submit the Form, you will get an acknowledging e-mail. You can change the data entries after submission, if necessary.

Prior to get started on the Team Registration Form, the following files for each participant have to be prepared and be made ready for uploading.
Photographic portrait: clear face photo to appear on the name tag and the IPhO2023 booklet — jpg or gif file no heavier than 1MB.
Pronunciation of full name: audio mp3 file no heavier than 1MB.
Photocopy of the photo page of the passport – jpg or gif or pdf file no heavier than 1MB.
Signed “Photography Consent Form” — pdf file no heavier than 1MB.
Signed “Commitment Form” –- pdf file no heavier than 1MB
The “Photography Consent Form” and the “Commitment Form” can be downloaded from the IPhO2023 webpage. Those for students and those for leaders/observers are different. They should be read carefully, and be signed and scanned to make pdf files to be uploaded upon registration.

Participation Fee:  Participation fees are set as follows:
Students:         70,000 JPY per person
(Students of a “Guest Team”:  150,000 JPY per person)
Leaders:          70,000 JPY per person
Observers:      250,000 JPY per person
Guests:           250,000 JPY per person
Surcharge for single room occupancy* at the Nippon Seinenkan Hotel:
12,000 JPY per night per person
* Applicable only to leaders, observers and guests staying at the Nippon Seinenkan Hotel. All student rooms in the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center are single occupancy with shared bathrooms.

Payment of the participation fees should be made by bank transfer to the following account by June 16 (Fri). Remittance should be made so that the total amount of participation fees for your team is deposited in our bank account. Namely, the remittance charge should be paid by the sender.

Beneficiary:         International Physics Olympiad 2023 IPhO2023

Bank:                 MUFG BANK, LTD
KAGURAZAKA BRANCH
3-7, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0825, Japan

Account Number: 052-0970796

SWIFT　Code:    BOTKJPJ2XXX

If you have difficulty with bank transfer, contact us prior to the above-mentioned deadline so that we can discuss on the payment method.
If you are unable to make bank transfer despite all your efforts, we accept payment in cash at the registration desk of IPhO2023. You have to bring the exact total amount of the participation fees of your team in JPY.

Cancellation or any other schedule changes must be notified to the IPhO2023 organizer by June 30 (Fri). Cancellation after this date will not be refundable.

Hospitality:  In accord with the tradition of IPhO, we extend our hospitality. We will provide and cover accommodation of the registered participants during the Olympiad official period (10 days) beginning in the evening of July 9 (Sun) and ending in the morning of July 18 (Tue) 2023.
Service of meals starts with a get-together party in the evening of July 9 (Sun) and ends with a farewell lunch on July 17(Mon).

Excursions and entertainments during IPhO2023 will be covered by the organizer.

Transportation.  Ground transportation will be provided for the official events.  Transportation service includes pick-up and drop-off of delegations* either at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) or Narita International Airport.

* Applicable to arrivals on 8 (Sat), 9 (Sun) and early morning of 10 (Mon). Note that the Opening Ceremony starts at 10:00 on 10 (Mon). Arrival in the morning of the same day is not advisable, considering the time for immigration procedures and transportation from the airport. To utilize the airport pick-up service, you have to include the flight number and arrival time in the Team Registration Form. As for departures, airport transportation will be provided on 17 (Mon) and 18 (Tue).

Trips from and to the airport on other days have to be self-covered. Individual arrival or departure on a different schedule than the group travel of the delegation will not be taken care of by the Organizer.

Accommodation:  All students shall be staying in the dormitory within the campus of the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center, the venue of IPhO2023. Each room is single occupancy. Several rooms constitute a unit with a shared bathroom.
Leaders, observers and guests will be staying at the Nippon Seinenkan Hotel.  The hotel rooms are based on two people per room. If single occupancy is preferred, a surcharge per night has to be paid.

 Travel Insurance:  Each delegation is advised to take out an appropriate travel insurance policy. Although the organizer signs up for a contingency insurance policy to cover accidents during IPhO2023, the policy does not cover personal medical insurance.

 Visa:  Visa application may be required depending on the traveler’s origin. In case a visa is required, we recommend you to prepare well in advance for a visa application. Please check for the latest information on visa issue at the following website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan.
https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html
The Organizing Committee, upon request and registration, can provide invitation letters to assist with the visa application. Visit the “Request for Letter of Invitation to IPhO2023” page via the pull-down menu under CORRESPONDENCE menu, and fill out the Form.

COVID-19:  It is difficult at this moment to predict the status of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and worldwide in July 2023. The Organizing Committee will collect and post relevant information, while striving to prepare for the safe execution of IPhO2023. The Japanese border measures concerning COVID-19, as of April 2023, can be found on the following webpage of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/covid-19/bordercontrol.html

 Exam Tools: We are using the OlyExam Tool, first introduced in IPhO2016, for discussions, voting, translating, marking and managing exams. Access to the OlyExam system will be via a WiFi network. Leaders and observers are advised to bring their own personal computers which they are used to. Make sure to bring your international power adaptor. Limited number of rental computers will be available for those teams experiencing troubles with their computers. Please be reminded that the electrical power outlet in Japan is “type A” supplying 100V a.c. at 50Hz (in the eastern part of Japan including Tokyo).

 Calculators: All contestants will use CASIO fx-82cw calculator to be provided by the organizer. CASIO company provides a web-based emulator of the calculator with which students can practice the usage of the calculator in advance. The access code will be sent to the contact person (usually the first team leader) of the country/region after he/she has completed the Team Registration.

Distribution of Experimental Kits: To each participating country/region, we will give away one set of the experimental kit used in the exam free of charge, if you would like to take it home. If you want more, you can purchase brand new kits at a price of 80,000 JPY/set which is an actual cost, or used kits at a reduced price. The exact price of the used kits cannot be predetermined because it should depend on their condition after use. The number of sets that can be purchased is subject to the availability.

Excursions:

<For Students>
Half-day excursions within the city of Tokyo will take place on July 12 (Wed) and July 14 (Fri).
A1. Yokohama
A2. Asakusa and Ueno
A3. Odaiba
One-day excursions in Kanto (greater metropolitan) area will take place on July 15 (Sat.) and July 16 (Sun.).
B1. Hakone
B2. Tsukuba
B3. Nikko
B4. Kamakura
Description of the excursion courses can be found in the Excursion Guide attached to the Second Circular.
Note that the choices of excursion courses should be made on a team base. Namely, all students of a team must go together with an attending student supporter. There should be no going off on one’s own.
The organizer will arrange the schedule of excursions so as to meet the choices as much as possible.

<For Leaders and Observers>
Half-day excursions within the city of Tokyo for leaders and observers will take place on July 11 (Tue) and on July 13 (Thur), while students are sitting for the exams. The destination will be “Asakusa and Ueno” and “Odaiba and Fukagawa“.

Communications:   Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via the INQUIRY FORM activated from the pull-down menu under the COMMUNICATION item in the menu-bar.

We look forward to meeting you in Tokyo in July.

The Organizing Committee of IPhO2023