International Physicists' Tournament 2026 - Opening Broadcast

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:50]Okay. Hi everybody. We're going to start the opening ceremony.

[00:00:55]So, please take your seats. Check that all your team members are here and we're going to start.

[00:01:03]Okay.

[00:01:05]You can [snorts] So, it is with great pleasure that I welcome each and every one of you to this 18th edition of the IPT.

[00:01:17]I am so happy and very relieved that all of you traveled safely and that you're ready for this amazing week.

[00:01:26]So, first I would like to take a moment to thank the local organizing committee who has really worked who has worked really hard to make this week possible.

[00:01:37]So, please join me in giving them the first round of applause.

[00:01:42]>> [applause] >> And you will also hear from them in a few minutes.

[00:01:53]So, 9 years ago, so back in 2017, I was sitting where you are sitting now.

[00:02:02]So not exactly here, of course.

[00:02:04]Because back in 2017, we were in Sweden.

[00:02:09]I'm wearing the t-shirt today, as you can see.

[00:02:12]And well, today here I am again, but on the other side.

[00:02:18]And it's been 9 months since I was elected president.

[00:02:22]9 months, this means that I am supposed to know what I'm doing by now.

[00:02:28]>> [laughter] [gasps] >> I'm still not entirely sure about that.

[00:02:31]But what I am absolutely certain about is that this week is going to be memorable, trust me. And I can't wait what you have in store for us.

[00:02:45]I want to take a moment to say how special this tournament is.

[00:02:51]Not only to me, but to everybody here.

[00:02:54]This week we have people from all over the world, from very different backgrounds and horizons gathered today by the same shared love of physics. And in today's words, that is not something that we should that we should take for granted and that is something we can all be very proud of. So thank you for participating to the IPT. Yeah, and please cherish this week. I know I will.

[00:03:25]And really enjoy it, cuz this is your time to shine. Show us great physics, make new friends, and you know, who knows? In a few years, you might be standing here with us inspiring the next IPT generation.

[00:03:39]And since I cannot do this alone, clearly, let me introduce to you the team behind the IPT, the executive committee.

[00:03:50]Please come on stage.

[00:03:53]>> [applause] >> So, Akash was helping me with the site today is our secretary.

[00:04:04]And Christos is our vice president.

[00:04:08]>> [gasps] >> Come on stage, yeah? So, everybody can see you.

[00:04:13]>> [laughter] >> Alberto is still eating.

[00:04:16]>> [gasps] >> So, Alberto, Deborah, Maya, Rusty, and Victor, thank you so much for being here.

[00:04:27]>> [applause] >> Unfortunately, not all of us could come this week, and I would like to take a moment to say a huge thank you to Alyssa, Anastasia, Dida, Mateus, Mathieu, and Nikolai who couldn't be with us, but they're still working very hard to make this happen. They're behind their computers right now helping us.

[00:04:56]So, we shouldn't forget them, and we send them lots of love and a huge thanks, too.

[00:05:03]>> [applause] >> And Christos, you say too.

[00:05:15]Um okay, yeah, and a fair warning, the executive committee has not slept much lately.

[00:05:24]And I have a feeling this week won't be much better, but honestly, this is totally worth it, so we're very happy to be here.

[00:05:35]Okay, I just want to take a minute to say that this year we have something different from the previous years.

[00:05:43]So, Maya here, Christos, and myself uh we are what we're calling the safeguarding contact persons, uh which means that if any of you witness or experience any situation that makes you uncomfortable in any way, please don't hesitate to come to us and tell us about this. Uh of course, you can tell uh this to any Execom members, but if you have only uh three uh faces you need to remember, uh these are the faces.

[00:06:14]>> [laughter] >> Thank you so much. And I will now just hand the mic to Maya, who has a special uh announcement to make about IT.

[00:06:23]Okay. Uh hi everyone. So, just a small heads-up for the people who have been here the previous years.

[00:06:28]So, this year we are uh we have a new site for scoring platform due to some things I'm not going to go into, but anyways, each of you got a QR code on this uh on your uh badge. And if you scan this QR code, it will take you to a website with all the scores and everything that updated real time. Of course, since we kind of had to switch to this very last minute, you may find some bugs. If you find a bug, just come to me or come to Alberto or Victor.

[00:06:58]And also, if you know, if you're some uh IT programming person is thinking like, "Oh, they did a horrible job here."

[00:07:04]Please join the Execom. We need these kind of people.

[00:07:07]>> [snorts] >> So, yeah. Thanks. That's all from me.

[00:07:12]>> [applause] >> Okay, so if you've already seen this table uh yesterday, but I just wanted to uh remind all of you um of the 20 teams that are participating this year. So, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, France, two teams from Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Team IPT, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, second team from USA, and uh sorry, and two teams from the USA.

[00:07:42]Um and I just wanted to take a moment to say that Hungary is participating for the first time ever. So, where are you, Hungary? Here. So, welcome.

[00:07:52]>> [applause] >> We are very happy to have you here.

[00:08:02]>> [snorts] >> Uh of course, this edition would not have been possible without the support of our main sponsor, Squarepoint Capital, which is a global quantitative investment management firm. We are so grateful for the support of the IPT. I believe they have a few surprises in store for you this week. So, um uh yeah. Uh we'll tell you all about it. And when you will go out of this room, you'll see that our sponsors have installed um tables with merch for you. So, don't hesitate to go there and talk to the only during the breaks, of course, because we won't we don't want to be late on the schedule.

[00:08:50]Uh we also have a second sponsor, which is Citadel Securities, a leading global markets maker combining trading expertise and cutting-edge technology.

[00:09:00]So, thank you also for your support. And you'll also be able to talk to the Citadel representatives in this lobby. So, thank you so much. And I think we can give a round of applause for two main sponsors.

[00:09:14]>> [applause] >> And one final announcement, please all of you share your experience with the IPT in 2016 hashtag. And here you have all our socials. So, don't hesitate to tag us. And our PR team will make an amazing job and repost all of your stories and pictures. So, yeah. Thank you.

[00:09:46]Okay.

[00:09:47]I would now like to invite Jim Hess, the president of Oklahoma State University and the OSU system to say a few words.

[00:09:56]So, please give him a round of applause.

[00:09:58]>> [applause] [applause] >> Good morning.

[00:10:10]Well, I I have a prepared speech for you. It'll only take about 30 minutes.

[00:10:18]That was a joke.

[00:10:19]It's okay for y'all to laugh. This is competition, but you can laugh.

[00:10:24]Um I am currently serving as the president of this great university and it is my honor and privilege to welcome all of you to the most beautiful place on this planet.

[00:10:37]Yep.

[00:10:39]>> [applause] >> As you walk around this campus, you'll notice how much attention we pay to detail of what this place looks like.

[00:10:52]Because this campus is regularly awarded the national award for being the most beautiful campus in America.

[00:11:02]And we pay a lot of attention to it because it is to this week your home away from home.

[00:11:11]And so, I want to congratulate all of you all for being here.

[00:11:16]18 different countries, 20 different teams. It's amazing.

[00:11:22]Um it is the first time that this competition has been held in North America. And of all the places for it to be in North America, there is no greater place than Oklahoma State University.

[00:11:36]Now, yeah, I'll go ahead, give us some applause.

[00:11:40]>> [applause] >> Now, I know this is a competition.

[00:11:48]But, the truth is that all of you are already winners because you got here.

[00:11:55]That's the truth.

[00:11:57]You worked very hard to get and I don't mean the travel, by the way.

[00:12:02]I'm sure some of you had some great travel stories to tell.

[00:12:07]But, I mean your achievements and your accomplishments and the dedication and the grit and resilience that you've shown to be able to compete in this tournament.

[00:12:19]I need to acknowledge a couple of people today, if you'll indulge me.

[00:12:24]Uh Joe, where are you? There he is. Joe, would you stand up? And all the members of the physics department, would you please stand up?

[00:12:34]This is the OSU physics.

[00:12:37]>> [applause] [applause] >> Thank you for your service to this university and to the world. I always remind people that the biggest problems that humanity has faced from a technological point of view were solved by physics.

[00:13:06]You know, many of you are not old enough to remember this, but I am.

[00:13:11]In the 1960, the president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, said he was going to put a man on the moon before the 1960s were over.

[00:13:24]And in 1969, sure enough, the Apollo folks and their mission, they landed on the moon and came back safely.

[00:13:33]You know how they did that?

[00:13:35]With physics. That's how they did it.

[00:13:38]And you could be a great pilot and all those wonderful astronauts were great pilots, but they were not physicists.

[00:13:47]And physics is the law of the universe. You would agree with that, wouldn't you?

[00:13:54]And here's what's great about physics.

[00:13:56]It doesn't matter what culture you came from, what country you came from, how you grew up.

[00:14:07]It doesn't matter because the laws of the universe are the same for everyone.

[00:14:14]Physics is the tie that binds all humanity because the laws of the universe and physics are the same regardless of individual beliefs or culture, or orientation, physics is the same for everyone.

[00:14:35]And so, I want to invite you this week.

[00:14:37]And by the way, I'm always in the recruiting mode.

[00:14:43]So, for any of you who would love to transfer to Oklahoma State University, we'll be available to you. I'm sorry for I did the couldn't help myself.

[00:14:57]Uh there's another group that I would like for you all to acknowledge.

[00:15:03]Your sponsor, mentor, faculty members who got you here and are here with you.

[00:15:11]Would all of you mentors, faculty members, sponsors with these groups, would you please stand up?

[00:15:19]That's you. Oh, yeah. Don't be bashful.

[00:15:23]Please stand up.

[00:15:24]>> [applause] [applause] [applause] >> Well done.

[00:15:37]Because what you have done for these young people will change the trajectory of their entire life.

[00:15:44]I promise you it will. And for you young people, always remember those folks who helped you get where you are because they have put you on a path to success.

[00:15:56]Madam President, thank you for the opportunity to be here.

[00:16:00]I welcome all of you to Oklahoma State University.

[00:16:05]Please take time to visit every place you can on campus in between your many, many opportunities to compete.

[00:16:14]And I want to thank you again on behalf of everyone at Oklahoma State University for being here. We love you. I hope that you have a great time here. If there is anything that you need while you're here, all you have to do is ask because we want this to be the best experience for you. Now, one last thing that we do here at Oklahoma State University, I'm going to give you all the chance to participate.

[00:16:41]Whenever we finish talking or acknowledging anything about our university, we do this.

[00:16:48]Go Pokes.

[00:16:50]Okay?

[00:16:52]So, on the count of three, I want everybody to join in. You're not being disloyal, I promise you.

[00:16:59]1 2 3 Go Pokes.

[00:17:05]Thank you very much.

[00:17:07]Great. [applause and cheering] Thank you very much, Jim.

[00:17:16]And now, please join me in welcoming Christine Ormsby, the Vice Provost and Director of the Institute for Teaching and Learning.

[00:17:28]>> [applause] >> I think I drew the short straw having to follow the president.

[00:17:34]Um I wanted I'm going to make a quick I just a quick a couple of comments cuz I know you are ready to go with your fights. Um I will tell you that a year ago when Flora came to me and talked to me about the opportunity to have the IPT here. First, I'd never heard of it. I'm not in the physics field. Secondly, I thought it sounded amazing and wonderful and really really exciting. And I think I might be almost excited about this as Joe is. Um nobody's excited as Joe, but um I was I thought this was the neatest thing. And so then I I started learning about it. I went online and I started reading about the competition. I watched YouTube videos of the fights. I looked at the questions. I don't understand any of them. But um I just thought this was an amazing experience. And then as we started talking to people about it and they'd say what is this thing? I would say it's the smartest physics students in the world and the smartest physicist.

[00:18:30]They're going to be in Stillwater. So I'm looking out here and here we are.

[00:18:35]Smartest physics students and physicists in the world in Stillwater, Oklahoma today.

[00:18:41]Pretty exciting.

[00:18:42]>> [applause] >> Pretty exciting.

[00:18:45]Um I want you I I will tell you this. I hope you're discovering in the short period of time you've been here that Stillwater is a very very friendly place. Um I think most of you have not been here. How many of you been in the United States before? Not very many, right? So I asked some of you have. How many of you been in Oklahoma?

[00:19:03]Yeah. What? Yeah, Rusty's been here.

[00:19:05]He's a student here. Um so we're really glad you're here. We feel really really honored um and privileged to have you here. It's as important to us and as special to us as I hope it is to you. I hope while you're here you discover how wonderful and friendly the people here are in Stillwater and the people on the campus. I will tell you this, this is I just finished my 19th year here in Stillwater. Not as long as our president, 45th year in your 45th year.

[00:19:32]He was an undergraduate student here.

[00:19:34]Now he's our president and we're really lucky to have that.

[00:19:38]But the Stillwater people love this campus.

[00:19:41]They're really proud of OSU.

[00:19:44]They love the students here and if you're out in the community and they hear you and they realize you don't sound like an Oklahoman you might get some questions and they're going to talk to you for a long time cuz they're going to be really interested in you. So I hope you get a chance to interact with the with people in the community because I think you will leave with a a really positive understanding experience of the Oklahoma culture, values and community spirit. So we're really glad you're here and as president has said if there's anything you need please let one of us know and we will do what we can to help you. So thank you so much. Have a great week and go fight win.

[00:20:26]>> [applause] >> Yeah, I agree with Chris. I was actually sitting next to an OSU graduate in the plane from Atlanta to OKC and he had a lot of questions indeed.

[00:20:43]>> [laughter] [gasps] >> So please join me in welcoming Joe, the LOC president and professor of physics here in OSU.

[00:20:56]>> [applause] [applause] >> So thank you all very much for being here.

[00:21:04]Um So Dr. Hess obviously did not see the dorms we were in last night.

[00:21:10]But, um we you you'll be much more uh delighted with what we have going forward. Um uh as you uh um as you'll see, um I think you'll see the the bright orange that uh we we uh hope to present. Um as you said, the campus is beautiful. Um those dorms are really you you saw you saw the uh You saw the the darkest part. And then now we'll Uh you you'll be much happier tonight, I'm happy to say. Um and I think the rest of the experience hopefully be great. Um let us know if there's anything you need help with. And uh like uh Jean said, you guys will remember this forever. Um it's a it's really an amazing experience, and I wish you guys all the best. And just let us know if uh there's anything we can do to uh to make it better. Um and I think you'll agree that tonight um it will start to go that way. Um and with that, I'll hand it back over because we are really tight for time with the four-round fights. So, um enjoy the uh competition.

[00:22:07]>> [applause] >> Okay. Uh I would like to thank um everybody who has given uh a short address this morning.

[00:22:23]And uh before everybody um heads to um the classroom uh building, uh I just wanted to uh quickly tell you that uh because of our tight schedule, just as Joe said, we're going to have one main coffee break this morning between the second and the third um round of the first physics fights, and we'll only do a short bathroom breaks between the other uh rounds.

[00:22:51]Uh all right, everyone. It is uh time. So, uh please make your way to your room for the first physics fight. Uh uh It's uh time to shine. So, good luck to all of you and uh fun.

[00:23:05]>> [applause]