IBO 2021 & the pandemic: Decisions to be announced early February

IBO 2021 and the Pandemic: Decisions to be Announced Early February

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is putting the hosts of IBO 2021 in front of immense hurdles. Understandably, many of the student candidates for IBO 2021, as well as the staff from our almost 80 NBOs, are therefore curious what will happen with IBO 2021 in Lisbon / Portugal.

IBO 2021 enjoys outstanding support by the Portuguese government and the main organizer, José Matos, and his team continue to do everything in their power to realize an in-person IBO 2021. Unfortunately, the situation surrounding the enormous infection numbers and the availability of vaccinations remains unclear at this point, thus making a definitive perspective for IBO 2021 impossible at this moment.

To avoid a complete cancellation in case the pandemic will prevent an in-person meeting, the IBO 2021 organizers are now investigating possibilities to digitize IBO 2021 as a Plan B.

The organizers hope that the developments in the following weeks will point more clearly towards the best solution for all of us. Hence, both the hosts and the IBO Steering Committee have today decided that the final decision on whether IBO 2021 will take place in person or as a digitized competition will be made by the end of January 2021. Shortly after, more specific plans - together with the IBO 2021 website - will be released.

We thank you all for your patience and ask for your understanding that neither the hosts nor the IBO SC would like to rush this decision as long as the situation is unclear.

We all very much hope that we will all be able to meet in person next summer.

Please stay healthy and please continue your valuable work!