The International Mental Arithmetic Olympiad was held in Portugal, with 243 participants from 14 countries. The first places were won by two Ukrainian children, 7-year-old Nicole and 10-year-old Oleksandr Kovalenko.
The children began to engage in mental arithmetic in October 2025. During this time, they took part in several Ukrainian and international tournaments.
Oleksandr previously took third place in the Ukrainian and international online Olympiads, and later won the championship in Ukraine.
Nicole made her debut at the international online Olympiad among the top 10 participants, after which she won the Ukrainian Olympiad and first place at the international level.
In mental arithmetic, people count without a calculator or paper, using an imaginary abacus. Participants in such Olympiads orally solve problems in a matter of seconds.
