Welcome to the 2023 International Academic Competitions Asian Championships!

International Academic Competitions is pleased to announce that its 10th annual Asian Championships will be held at the JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort and Spa in Khao Lak, Thailand on 16-18 June, 2023. For the first time since 2019, we are delighted to be holding an in-person Asian Championships at the traditional home for the tournament. The JW Marriott Khao Lak is located in an amazing setting directly on the beach about an hour north of Phuket Airport. The entire resort underwent an extensive multiyear renovation during the pandemic years, and now features new restaurants, a new wavepool, and over 200 new guest rooms! In 2019, 62 History Bowl teams attended from across Asia, and we are expecting another great turnout next June.

General Information

Registration
Registration for the 2023 International Academic Competitions Asian Championships will open by the end of January 2023.
Please check back here for the registration and hotel reservation links at that time. Registration fees are listed here.

Schedule: Please see detailed schedule here.

Hotel Information and Costs
Please note that with the exception of students and teams from Phuket or students and teams arriving in Thailand on the day of their first competition (e.g. a student or team that takes an overnight flight and then competes the next day, or a student or team that flies in on Saturday morning to Thailand and then competes in the History Bee or History Bowl as their first event of the weekend), staying at the hotel is required prior to all nights on which students from any given school will be competing. Reservations must be made through the official hotel reservation form.

Please do not make hotel reservations in advance through any other method! Reservations made at the hotel in a different way (i.e. calling the hotel, using the usual hotel website, a different reservation number, or on a 3rd party website, such as hotels.com) are invalid, and any family or school booking this way will not be allowed to compete unless they reserve via the online link! For information on the hotel’s refund policy, please contact the hotel directly; International Academic Competitions is not liable for any refunds for cancelled hotel rooms or meals.

Note that the following rates are only guaranteed for reservations made on or before 1 June, 2023! International Academic Competitions cannot guarantee the rate after that, though the policy of needing to stay at the hotel still applies.

The hotel rate is 4900 THB on the nights of 15 and 16 June and 7700 THB on 17 June for double occupancy (includes service charge and government taxes). This fee includes daily breakfast for up to two people and admission to the obligatory gala beach dinner on the night of 17 June (hence the higher room rate on that night). Rooms occupied by just one guest cost 4900 THB on 15 and 16 June and 6300 THB and this then also includes the dinner on 17 June. Additional gala dinner costs are 1400 THB per person, though non-competing students age 12 and younger pay only 700 THB and for children 5 and younger there is no charge. The age of non-competing children must be declared upon making room reservations in order to receive these discounts.

Check in is at 15.00 (3pm) each day and check out is at 12.00 (12pm) each day, with the exception of Sunday, 18 June when the check out time is at 13.00 (1pm)

Costs for a 3rd person in the room are as follows (does not include gala dinner which is obligatory for anyone staying in the room on the night of 17 June):
Extra person using extra bed (12 years and older) with breakfast: 1200 THB per person
Extra person using extra bed (under 12 years) with breakfast: 800 THB per person
Extra person using day bed in room (12 years and older) with breakfast: 600 THB per person
Extra person using day bed in room (under 12 years) with breakfast: 400 THB per person

Note that the rate of 4900 THB as well as the extra person rates are valid from the nights of 12 June-20 June for participants wishing to extend their stay either before or after the competition.

Hotel Meals and Spa Rates
Aside from the buffet breakfast included in the room rate and the obligatory gala dinner, IHBB has also secured flat rate meal prices of 550 THB per lunch and 600 THB per dinner from lunch on 15 June through dinner on 18 June. These are optional (i.e. you are welcome to get lunch or dinner [aside from the gala dinner on Saturday] on your own, either at the resort or outside the resort) and must be booked through the hotel (tell them you want to book the flat rate dinner) by 27 May, 2023.
All guests are also welcome to a 20% discount on a la carte food purchases (this does not include the meal rates above or for the gala dinner) as well as a 20% discount on purchases at the Quan Spa on the resort grounds. Be sure to ask for these discounted rates!

Flights and Airport Shuttles
When making flight reservations, please be sure to fly into Phuket International Airport (airport code HKT). Be advised that the resort is roughly 65-75 minutes north of the airport. IHBB will once again organize airport shuttles. Shuttle prices are $25 USD per person one way or $50 per person round trip. To book shuttles, or if you have further questions about shuttles, please email nolwenn@iacompetitions.com
If your team is competing in the History Bowl on Sunday, 18 June, please do not book flights back before 5:30pm if at all possible! If you need to book a flight between 4:00pm and 5:30pm, please contact us to check with us if this is advisable before booking your flights!

Events

International Academic Bowl Asian Championships
The IAC Asian Championships will begin on Friday with the International Academic Bowl Asian Championships. This competition is open to all students and does not require prior qualification. As in the History Bowl, there are 3 age divisions, up to 4 players play at any time, and all students on a team must be attending the same school. Questions are played according to the Academic Bowl format, which can include questions from all academic disciplines. Further information on the Academic Bowl of Asia, including sample questions, a rules sheet, and a scoresheet for practicing is available here.

International Science Bee Asian Championships
On Friday evening, we will run the International Science Bee Asian Championships. Students must have qualified for the IGB Asian Championships through obtaining a passing score on either the Alpha or Beta version of the IGB Asian Championships Qualifying Exam. The Qualifying Exam is given at all IHBB Asia Regional tournaments, though students who wish to try and qualify on Friday evening can take either (or both) versions of the Qualifying Exam at the resort. Further information on the IGB Asian Championships is available here (see the other links off the drop down menu for Asia on the IGB website for sample questions and further information about IGB in general).

International Geography Bee Asian Championships
On Saturday morning, we will run the International Geography Bee Asian Championships. Students must have qualified for the IGB Asian Championships through obtaining a passing score on either the Alpha or Beta version of the IGB Asian Championships Qualifying Exam. The Qualifying Exam is given at all IHBB Asia Regional tournaments, though students who wish to try and qualify on Friday evening can take either (or both) versions of the Qualifying Exam at the resort. Further information on the IGB Asian Championships is available here (see the other links off the drop down menu for Asia on the IGB website for sample questions and further information about IGB in general).