The three-day “Hippo ‘English Without Borders’ Olympiad (China National Finals)” competition recently took place at the Macao Polytechnic University (MPU), with the event attracting parents and students from provinces and cities across the nation, according to a statement yesterday from the public university.
The event was organised by MPU in conjunction with the Global Hippo Association and ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) China. Both are non-profit organisations. The Global Hippo Association is headquartered in Italy.
The statement noted that the annual Olympiad, which has challenges across 12 difficulty levels, is “the world’s most influential challenge and assessment for young learners of English as a foreign language”, and adheres to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The competition comprises the Preliminary Round, the China National Finals, the Regional Qualifiers, and the Global Finals.
The statement said that the winners receive Gatehouse Awards-issued certificates, noting that students from over 60 countries and regions have joined the contest since its inception.
This year’s initial round broke all previous records with participation by nearly 100,000 competitors, of which nearly 10,000 were from the mainland. The statement added that 2,247 of the competitors moved on to the China National Round, including over 100 students from various secondary schools in Macau.
The statement said that the world’s top 180 contestants will compete in the Global Finals in Italy.
MPU-Bell Centre of English Deputy Director Lily Lim (林燕玲) said that this year’s China National Finals of the Hippo Olympiad marked the first time for the Hippo English Olympiad to be held in Macau, with the event providing local students with the opportunity to participate in international competitions and exchanges and compete in English with participants from the mainland and other parts of the world.
This undated handout photo provided by the Macao Polytechnic University (MPU) yesterday shows competitors and officials at the three-day Hippo “English Without Boarders” Olympiad (China National Finals) on the public university’s campus.
