9th WAAMA Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Contest held in Beijing

(ECNS) -- The 9th Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Contest of the World Association of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic (WAAMA) concluded in Beijing on Saturday, drawing a record-high 254 contestants from 28 teams across 11 countries and regions, including Australia, Indonesia, Russia, the Republic of Korea, the United States, and China.

While retaining its traditional competition structure, this year’s event introduced new featured categories such as lightning calculation and marathon calculation. It also added a highlight interactive session in which top Chinese mental arithmetic players competed and exchanged skills with intelligent robots, creating a direct dialogue between the ancient abacus heritage and modern digital technology.

Since its launch in 2004, the biennial contest has attracted over 2,000 participants from around the world. It has grown into a key international platform that combines skill competition, educational innovation, and cross-cultural exchange, infusing new vitality into the millennia-old abacus tradition in the digital age.

(By Intern Lin Qiaochu, Zhang Dongfang)