Hello, CodeForces!
Today, I would like to discuss about an issue of IOI 2025 venue. The venue of IOI 2025 is still not officially announced, but according to the website, IOI 2025 will be held in La Paz, Bolivia.
As you know, La Paz is one of the highest cities in the world. For example, the center of La Paz is at 3600 meters above the sea level, and El Alto International Airport, which is the nearest large airport from La Paz, is at 4100 meters above the sea level. Therefore, altitude sickness can be a big concern. I think that even the following things can happen:
- 20% of the contestants collapsed at the airport, and they were even unable to reach hotels
- 30% of the contestants collapsed during hotel stay, opening ceremony, practice sessions and excursions, and they were unable to participate in the contest
- The remaining 50% were barely able to participate in the contest, but most of them performed very badly because of lack of oxygen
- Only 10% were able to perform at the level of their skill, and gold medalist were almost determined among them. Many LGMs, IGMs and GMs made blunders in the contest, and the biggest upset in IOI history occured
If I were an IOI 2025 participant, I have a strong confidence that I could not even get a bronze medal because I often suffer altitude sickness at 2500 meters above the sea level.
In addition, as an alumni of Japanese Olympiad in Informatics (JOI), I am very worrying about the possibility that IOI 2025 Japan team cannot participate in the contest or cannot perform well. I also think that many other countries have the same concern — because most of the countries are low-elevated, like altitude of 100 meters or 200 meters.
Are there any tips or any ways of practice to get used to high altitude?