The January final monthly competition of Road to Mount Olympia's fourth quarter, broadcast on the afternoon of 17/8, brought together 4 winning contestants from the weekly rounds: Pham Van Hieu (Nguyen Binh Khiem Specialized High School, Da Nang), Le Duc Minh (Specialized High School for Gifted Students in Foreign Languages, Hanoi National University), Vu Thien Tuan (Le Khiet Specialized High School, Quang Ngai), and Nguyen Bach Hiep (Son Tay Specialized High School, Hanoi).
During the Finish Line round, Le Duc Minh encountered a 20-point question: "What is the nutritional mode of most bacteria and fungi?". His answer was "autotrophic". Minh's answer was deemed incorrect, allowing other contestants to answer. Bach Hiep then responded with "chemoautotrophic", while the program's answer was "chemoheterotrophic".
However, during the recording, the program's advisor decided to award points to Bach Hiep's answer. Consequently, Hiep gained 20 points, deducted from Duc Minh's score.
After 4 rounds, Bach Hiep won with 195 points. Duc Minh came in second with 185 points, followed by Van Hieu with 85 points and Thien Tuan with 140 points.
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The biology question in Le Duc Minh's Finish Line round, broadcast on the afternoon of 17/8. Photo: VTV |
The biology question in Le Duc Minh's Finish Line round, broadcast on the afternoon of 17/8. Photo: VTV
After the competition concluded, the program advisor realized that accepting Hiep's answer was a mistake. Both contestants' answers were incorrect. The correct answer should have been "chemoheterotrophic," the initially announced solution.
The organizers acknowledged that the advisor's decision during recording affected Duc Minh's chance to advance to the quarterfinals. However, according to the rules, the scores and rankings cannot be changed after the competition ends.
To ensure fairness, Le Duc Minh will be invited to participate in the 4th quarterfinal, joining three previous quarterly winners: Le Quang Duy Khoa (Quoc Hoc Specialized High School, Hue City), Nguyen Nhut Lam (Cai Be High School, Tien Giang), and Doan Thanh Tung (Le Quy Don Specialized High School, Khanh Hoa) to determine the finalist.
In its 25-year history, this is the first time Road to Mount Olympia will have five contestants in a quarterfinal.
A similar situation occurred in the 2009 final. In that year's third quarterfinal, Ho Ngoc Han (Quoc Hoc Specialized High School, Hue City) won with 275 points and advanced to the finals, while Bach Dinh Thang (Nguyen Hue Specialized High School, Hanoi) came in second.
Thang later appealed a 60-point biology question in the Finish Line round. His appeal was accepted, making him a co-winner and granting him a spot in the finals.
Le Nguyen
