Landim greets Brazilians at the China Olympics, on RJTV.

In an interview with RJTV , the deputy director of IMPA and general coordinator of OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools), Claudio Landim, celebrated the qualification of Brazilian students from a public school in Nilópolis, in the Baixada Fluminense region of Rio de Janeiro, for the Mathematics Olympiad in China. "I am certain that the participation of the Marechal Zenóbio Da Costa School in this international Olympiad will stimulate not only the students representing the school, but all their classmates and teachers," said Landim.

The report was shown on Friday (12), and showed the students' excitement for the competition, which takes place virtually on November 20, and their fascination with mathematics. For student Maria Cláudia Santos, 18, numbers represent "the hope for a better future". "Mathematics is everywhere these days. We live in the computer age, the information age, and we can't get information without mathematics," she said.

The report also highlighted the work the school, one of four Brazilian institutions selected to participate in the China Mathematics Olympiad, has been doing to encourage studies among its students. In four years, the school has already won more than 200 national and international awards in mathematics, physics, and science olympiads.

“From this space, they can envision a future that, until then, seemed very far away. The biggest challenge is this socio-emotional aspect, showing them that, despite all the difficulties, it is possible to get there, and that they are the masters of their own story,” commented the school's teacher, Fernando Rocha.

Student Lorena Rocha, 16, spoke about her expectations for the competition on November 20th. "To bring home more medals, more learning, and with all of that, to be able to evolve further in mathematics and in life."