Diversity of origins is highlighted at ICM 2018.

There are almost 3,000 participants from 114 countries, but no Tower of Babel here. Like in Genesis, everyone speaks one language: that of Mathematics. Hosted for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere, the International Congress of Mathematicians welcomed 2,627 delegates to present ideas and discuss advances in the field. Even among the ten countries with the largest number of participants, the balance is maintained: three South American, three European, and three Asian countries, in addition to the United States.

Brazilian Lucas Colucci is a doctoral student in Mathematics at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, and came to the country specifically for the event. Colucci highlighted the importance of Brazil hosting the ICM and intends to return after completing his studies. "There's a lot to be done here, and the community is growing rapidly, especially in my field (Combinatorics)," he said.

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Nalini Anantharaman talks about ergodic systems.

Helen Chandra, an Indian professor at Jayaraj Annapackiam College for Women, has 28 years of research experience. She says she has spoken with about 20 Indians from different linguistic backgrounds. Remembering Akshay Venkatesh's Fields Medal win, Helen smiled broadly and proudly: “Oooh! I was so happy!”

If diversity is a highlight of the meeting, Norwegian mathematician Eldar Straume says that this is also the case at his university: "There are many foreigners, especially from Germany, Russia and Austria."