Our Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad (HKLO) Team, comprising four local secondary school students, achieved outstanding results at the 23rd International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL), held in Bucharest, Romania, from 27 July to 1 August 2026.
Competing against some of the world’s most talented young linguists, the Team brought home two Silver Medals (Maxwell JI and Theo LOMONE), one Bronze Medal (Ricky LEUNG), one Honourable Mention (Jayden KONG), and a Silver Medal in the Team Contest – affirming their exceptional capabilities on the global stage.
Congratulations to all team members on their remarkable accomplishments, which showcase their exceptional linguistic aptitude, dedication, and teamwork.
The results of the 23rd IOL can be found here.
HKLO Team at the IOL 2026 (in alphabetical order)
Prof. Eric PELZL (Team Leader)
FARHAN Ishraq (Deputy Team Leader)
Jayden KONG (St Paul’s Co-educational College);
Maxwell JI (Chinese International School);
Ricky LEUNG (Excel London College); and
Theo LOMONE (Diocesan Boy’s School).
Looking ahead, the 2026/27 HKLO training programme will commence in late September/early October. If you’re interested in joining this year, don’t miss the opportunity! The 24th IOL will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2027.
The Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad (HKLO) is organised by the Faculty of Humanities at PolyU, in collaboration with the HKLO Committee.
The IOL is one of the twelve international science Olympiads designed for secondary school students, challenging participants to solve complex linguistic puzzles using logical thinking, problem-solving skills, and creativity. Unlike many competitions, it requires no prior knowledge of specific languages or linguistics. Participants tackle problems spanning syntax, phonology, semantics, and writing systems by identifying patterns in unfamiliar language- including rare and endangered ones. The competition is divided into two categories: an individual contest where participants work independently, and a team contest requiring collaboration to resolve more intricate problems.
The 8th Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad (HKLO) was held successfully on 8 February 2026, attracting a total of 105 contestants from 30 local secondary schools. The Linguistics Olympiad challenges contestants’ logical ability through linguistics puzzles, without requiring any knowledge of linguistics or foreign languages, with an aim to cultivate an understanding of the diversity of world languages and the ability to analyse their structures. This year, the questions explored the logic of a variety of languages, including Shanghainese, Guaraní, Maltese and Chiquitano.
Two students won Gold Medals, six earned Silver Medals, twelve received Bronze Medals, and 23 were awarded Honourable Mentions. Among them, the top 20 contestants are qualified to compete in the upcoming Asia Pacific Linguistics Olympiad (APLO), scheduled for 29 March 2026.
Congratulations to all our young linguistic talents on their remarkable achievement, and we wish them every success in the upcoming APLO!
The results of 8th HKLO can be found here .
Representative from the Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad (HKLO) delivered an impressive performance at the 22nd International Linguistics Olympiad. The teams earn one Silver Medal (Maxwell Ji), one Bronze Medal (Lin Cheuk Hang), and four Honourable Mentions (Yeung Kin Cheong, Jayden Kong, Theo Lomone and Chiu Pak Hei), as well as one Best Solution Award (Maxwell Ji - problem 5)!
HKLO teams at the IOL 2025 (in alphabetical order)
Professor Eric PELZL (Team Leader)
Farhan Ishraq (Deputy Team Leader)
Cici CAI (Chinese International School);
Jenny CAO (German Swiss International School);
CHIU Pak Hei (St Joseph's College);
Jayden KONG (St Paul's Co-educational College);
Maxwell JI (Chinese International School);
LIN Cheuk Hang (Queen's College) ;
Theo LOMONE (Diocesan Boys' School); and
YEUNG Kin Cheong (Carmel Pak U Secondary School).
Four students have represented the Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad team at the 21st International Linguistics Olympiad which took place between the 23rd and 31st of July 2024 in Brasília, Brazil. The team has achieved the one Silver medal (Henry Wong), two Bronze medals (Maxwell Ji and Choi John Nathaniel), one Honourable mention (Lin Cheuk Hang), as well as an Honourable mention in the Team Contest!
HKLO team at the IOL 2024
From left to right: Ian Tam (Observer), Maxwell Ji (Chinese International School), Lin Cheuk Hang (Queen's College), Henry Wong (Diocesan Boys' School), Choi John Nathaniel (St. Joseph's College), Vlad A. Neacșu (Team Leader).
Four students have represented the Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad team at the 20th International Linguistics Olympiad which took place between the 21st and 29th of July 2023 in Bansko, Bulgaria. The team has achieved the absolute Gold medal (Tam Lok Hang, highest score achieved, 96.5 p), two Silver medals (Zhang Yixuan and Henry Wong), three Best Solution awards (Tam Lok Hang - problems 2, 3, and 5), as well as an Honourable mentionin the Team Contest!
HKLO team at IOL 2023
From left to right: Vlad A. Neacșu (Team Leader), Henry Wong (Diocesan Boys' School), Ian Tam (La Salle College), Ryan Lo (Diocesan Boys’ School), Zhang Yixuan (Hong Kong International School).
Four students have represented the Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad team at the 19th International Linguistics Olympiad which took place between the 24th and 30th of July 2022 in Castletown, Isle of Man. The team has achieved one Silver medal (Tam Lok Hang), one Bronze medal (Henry Wong), two Best Solution awards (Tam Lok Hang - problem 4 and Henry Wong - problem 5), as well as an Honourable mention in the Team Contest!
HKLO team at IOL 2022
From left to right: Samantha Yung (Pui Ching Middle School), Henry Wong (Diocesan Boys' School), Vlad A. Neacșu (Team Leader), Ian Tam (La Salle College), Ryan Lo (Diocesan Boys’ School).
Four students have represented the Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad team at the 18th International Linguistics Olympiad which took place online between the 19th and 24th of July 2021. All four students have been awarded a medal! (Xie Lingrui – Gold medal, Ian Tam – Silver medal, Ip Tsz Oi – Silver medal, Ng Truman Toby – Bronze medal). Moreover, the team earned the Gold Trophy for the highest average team score at the individual contest.
HKLO team at IOL 2021
From left to right: Xie Lingrui (La Salle College), Ip Tsz Oi (Diocesan Girls' School), Ian Tam (La Salle College), Ng Truman Toby (St. Paul's College).
- 2019-09-12 Loan Words
- 2019-09-27 Mongolian Letters
- 2019-10-11 Word Order
- 2019-10-25 Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
- 2019-11-08 Morphology and Word Formation
- 2019-11-28 What makes both ‘I’ and ‘me’ representing the same word in Chinese?
- 2019-12-13 Some Semantics (Part 1)
- 2019-12-16 Some Semantics (Part 2)
- 2020-01-03 Pame and Its Octonary Number System (Part 1)
- 2020-01-03 Pame and Its Octonary Number System (Part 2)
- 2020-01-17 Tibetic languages
- 2020-06-12 The Tibetan script
27 September 2026 – 13 December 2026 (tentative) – Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad training programme
10 January 2027 – Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad Mock Test
24 January 2027 – 9th Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad competition
March – April 2027 – 9th Asia Pacific Linguistics Olympiad competition
July – August 2027 – 24th International Linguistics Olympiad competition (Bangkok, Thailand)
Chair
- Prof. Yao, Yao (Department of Language Science and Technology, PolyU)
Ex-officio members
- Prof. HU, Guangwei (Interim Dean of Faculty of Humanities, PolyU)
- Prof. Siok, Wai-Ting (Head of Department of Language Science and Technology, PolyU)
- Prof. Friginal, Eric (Head of Department of English and Communication, PolyU)
- Prof. Pelzl, Eric (Department of Language Science and Technology, PolyU; Faculty Advisor; Leader of HKLO Team in IOL 2025)
- Mr Farhan, Ishraq (Competition Advisor; Deputy Leader of HKLO Team in IOL 2025)
Standing members
- Prof. Ahrens, Kathleen (Department of English and Communication, PolyU)
- Prof. Huang, Chu-Ren (Department of Language Science and Technology, PolyU)
- Ms Luo, Xin (Department of Language Science and Technology, PolyU; Leader of HKLO team in IOL 2019)
- Dr Neacsu, Vlad A. (Member of IOL Board; Secretary General of APLO Board and APLO Jury; Leader of HKLO Team in IOL 2021-2024)
- Mr Pan, Tung-Le (IOL Medalist; Chairman of IOL Problem Committee 2025; APLO Jury )
Chair
- Prof. Pelzl, Eric (Department of Language Science and Technology, PolyU; Faculty Advisor; Leader of HKLO Team in IOL 2025)
Members
- Mr Farhan, Ishraq (Competition Advisor; Deputy Leader of HKLO Team in IOL 2025)
- Logistics Officer: Ms Wong, Kate (Department of Language Science and Technology, PolyU)
Chair
- Mr Farhan, Ishraq (Competition Advisor; Deputy Leader of HKLO Team in IOL 2025)
Members
- Dr Neacsu, Vlad A. (Member of IOL Board; Secretary General of APLO Board and APLO Jury; Leader of HKLO Team in IOL 2021-2024)
- Mr Pan, Tung-Le (IOL Medalist; Chairman of IOL Problem Committee 2025; APLO Jury )
- Mr Tam, Lok Hang (IOL Medalist)
- Mr Wong, Tok Shing Henry (IOL Medalist; Member of the OnLing Problem Committee)
