The present Annual Regulations for the virtual JBMO 2020 have been approved by the Board of MASSEE.

Because of the medical situation in Balkan countries, the present annual regulations will apply only for the online JBMO 2020. In the next years, as usual, organizing countries will provide adapted annual regulation and will collaborate with MASSEE on this matter.

An official delegation of a participating country of the 24th Junior Balkan Mathematical Olympiad (JBMO 2020) consists of no more than six Contestants, the Leader and Deputy Leader, jointly called Participants, as well as accompanying Observers.

If countries official participants in the JBMO, had not the possibility to select a national team, the local mathematical society, can propose that a school in that country can participate, as a team from that country but with the name of the school, town and country.

JBMO 2020 is a purely virtual event because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and regulations relating to events for Participants and Observers physically taking place in the Host Country do not apply. Online activities may replace the excursions and/or cultural trips.

The organizer of JBMO 2020 is MASSEE. The Host Organization is the Hellenic Mathematical Society.

The organization of JBMO 2020 is the responsibility of Organizing Committee consisting of three persons nominated by MASSEE Board.

Participation of countries must be confirmed by mail to info@hms.gr and to the General Secretary of MASSEE: kmn@aueb.gr , no later than August 25, 2020.

Registration of Leaders, Deputy Leaders, Observers and the number of Contestants must be completed by sending special forms to the General Secretary of MASSEE: kmn@aueb.gr , no later than August 25, 2020.

Registration of Contestants must be completed by sending special forms to the General Secretary of MASSEE: kmn@aueb.gr , no later than September 5, 2020.

Proposal of problems must be send to Organizing Committee no later than 25 August, 2020. Every participating country has the right to propose up to five problems.

There will be no virtual version of routine Jury meetings. Any decisions that should be taken by the Jury, such as approval of problems, approval of translations, approval of marking schemes, will be made by the Organizing Committee. The Organizing Committee may call video conference Jury meetings at his/her discretion. Amendments of the General Regulations for future JBMOs may not be made at JBMO 2020. Any decisions required to be made about the hosting of the future JBMOs may be made by MASSEE.

Exams must take place in national JBMO Exam Center, approved by the Organizing Committee. Any expenses associated with hiring facilities are the responsibility of participating countries, who are also responsible for ensuring that the exam center is a suitable and safe environment, with all appropriate facilities that are expected at a normal JBMO.

For each JBMO exam center, there will be a MASSEE Commissioner, appointed by MASSEE subject to the approval of the Host Mathematical Society. A Commissioner will be a trusted individual, and preferably not a citizen of the country using the Exam Center, and where possible having some familiarity with JBMO tradition and procedures. To avoid travelling internationally a JBMO Commissioner can be citizen in the country where he/she is a commissioner. The JBMO Commissioner will oversee the conduct of the exam, including reviewing answers provided by the Leaders to questions from Contestants. The JBMO Commissioner will work with the MASSEE Board as necessary to ensure the exams are conducted properly and that MASSEE Board is provided with any necessary information. Participating countries are responsible for paying any expenses incurred by the JBMO Commissioner (accommodation for one night and travel inside the country)

The official Programme for Leaders and Observers A begins on 9 September 2020 and ends on 13 September 2020. In the early phase of the competition, there will be testing of communications and clarifications of protocols rather than Jury meetings, and possibly other online activities.

The Official Programme for Deputy Leaders and Contestants begins on 10 September 2020 and ends on 13 September 2020.

There will be an online Opening Ceremony on 10 September 2020.

The Organizing Committee in cooperation with the Problem Selection Committee consisting of two persons nominated by the Hellenic Mathematical Society will prepare the Shortlist of JBMO 2020.

The Contest problems will be selected and expressed in final form by the Organizing Committee in cooperation with the Problem Selection Committee. Solutions, as well as marking scheme, will be released to Leaders after the last student has finished sitting the corresponding exam. Leaders must provide their translation of exam papers into other languages and sent their language versions to JBMO 2020 Organizing Committee using an online process specified by the Host organization. After each exam, JBMO Commissioner in cooperation with the Leader will send scans of scripts to the Coordinators. The Organizing Committee and the Coordinators may ask from the Leaders to send translations in English of some parts of the scripts of their students Note that even when a student has written in English, if he/she has poor handwriting, Leaders should assist the Coordinators by providing a clear version of the student’s script in a format which Coordinators will find maximally useful. Leaders may obtain assistance from Colleagues (but not participating students) when making these translations.

Exam condition: JBMO exams should take place in a sufficiently large room or hall to facilitate social distancing to the extent required by local authorities and the state of the pandemic. Desks should be widely spaced. It is compulsory that Leaders arrange to use webcams to provide a live feed of pictures of examinations taking place to the Organizing Committee.

The contest day for JBMO 2020 will be 11 September 2020. All Contestants must have been born on or after 25 December 2004. Contestants will sit the Contest in the country they currently reside in, at a location designated the national JBMO Exam Center by their Leader. In order to participate officially in JBMO 2020, students must sit the exam at the Exam Center, in the presence of the JBMO Commissioner. The day of the exam the paper must be sat for a single period of four and a half hours, starting for all participating countries at 8.00 UTC. The shortlist for JBMO 2019 remain confidential until 11 September 2020 and the substitute shortlist for the JBMO 2020 remains confidential until the end of JBMO 2021.

Electronic equipment of any kind (including timekeeping equipment) may not be brought into JBMO exams. This regulation does not apply to internal equipment such as a heart pacemaker or a cochlea implant. Details of externally worn hearing aids or any other electronic equipment worn for medical reasons, if any, must be submitted for approval to the JBMO Commissioner one day before the exam.

Contestants are allowed to ask written questions in the first half hour of the Contest. Questions do not need to be considered by the Jury. The Leader may give a written answer to a question, supervised by the JBMO Commissioner, provided that it is a question sufficiently similar to one of those on a list of likely questions and answers will be provided by the JBMO Organizing Committee. If there is an unexpected question, Leaders must conduct the Organizing Committee by video conference, before providing a written answer to a student. Records of all questions and answers must be supplied to the Organizing Committee by a procedure specified by the Host Organization.

Coordination will be very similar to normal coordination, except that it will be conducted by scheduled video conference. Coordination day is 12 September 2020. There will be problem Captains as usual. The scripts of the Greek students will be coordinated by the members of the Organizing committee, excluding the Greek member. Final appeal to the Jury will not be possible at this virtual competition. Instead, in the event a final appeal is necessary, it will be to a joint committee of the Organizing Committee, the problem Captain and the Leader of the country.

Video conference coordination meetings will be recorded and will be retained for 12 months before being destroyed. The MASSEE Board will have access to these recordings, in the event that any questions of irregularity arise. The storage of these recordings will not be connected to the internet.

The Medal Boundaries and other awards will be proposed by the Organizing Committee. It will use exactly the same protocols as at a normal JBMO. The final decision will be taken at MASSEE meeting on 13 September 2020. Results will be published immediately according to normal practice.

Medal and certificates will be posted to Mathematical Societies or to Leaders, and it is hoped that, when health conditions permit, national presentation ceremonies will be arranged. All expenses for medals, certificates and posting will be paid by the organizer of JBMO 2020.

There will be an online closing ceremony on 13 September 2020.

Leaders must be ensuring that all child protection measures which are legally enforced in their country of origin are correctly observed.

JBMO site must be created by MASSEE until 25 August. Personal data of Participants and Observers, such as surname. Name, gender, nationality, date of birth, place of birth, passport data, address of residence, place of study, work, phone, and photos will be stored for one year. Consent to the processing of personal data can be revoked by sending a request from the Leader. The same happens for taking photos and videos during any online activities of JBMO 2020, with the right of the Host Organization to publish images and videos including of Participants and Observers, as happens in normal JBMO’s.

The Host Organization, with the approval of MASSEE Board, may vary protocols concerning the conduct of the virtual JBMO 2020 as and when necessary. This contest is unrehearsed, so some flexibility may be required to make matters run as smoothly as possible.

Countries usually participating in JBMO as ”guest countries” will be invited to participate in JBMO 2020. The existing regulations for “guest countries” will be followed.

Separate detailed documents will be published explaining procedures, technical details and protocols concerning the various aspects of JBMO 2020. This will happen on or before 25 August 2020.