On July 25, 2026, the 9th Competition of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic of WAAMA was held in Beijing, China. Mr. Lin Zechang, Vice Minister of Finance of China; Mr. Ou Wenhan, President of the 6th Council of WAAMA and President of the Chinese Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Association (CAMAA); WAAMA Vice Presidents Hsiao, Chiu-Yung (Taiwan, China), Sally Chou (USA), Alexander Kartono Taslim (Indonesia); as well as officials from relevant departments of the Ministry of Finance, CAMAA, the Beijing Municipal Finance Bureau, and the Xicheng District Government attended the opening ceremony.
(Mr. Lin Zechang, Vice Minister of Finance, Attends the Opening Ceremony)
(WAAMA President and CAMAA President Ou Wenhan Delivers a Speech)
In his address, Ou Wenhan noted that abacus, as an integral part of fine traditional Chinese culture, embodies the mathematical wisdom and philosophy of the Chinese nation and bears witness to the evolution of human computational civilization. Against the backdrop of accelerating digitalization and intelligentization, it is all the more necessary to safeguard the intellectual roots of human civilization, promote the innovative development of abacus as an intangible cultural heritage through open exchange, and enable more young people to experience the wonder of mathematics, the rhythm of concentration, the beauty of logic, and the essence of humanity through abacus and mental arithmetic. He put forward three initiatives: to promote the transmission of abacus as an intangible cultural heritage through competitions; to expand abacus and mental arithmetic education empowered by technology; and to pool collective strengths through cooperation for a shared blueprint of global innovation and development.
Mr. Yu Baojiang, Level I Bureau Rank Official of the Beijing Municipal Finance Bureau, remarked in his welcoming speech that Beijing is a city where ancient capital culture and innovative culture shine together. He expressed great honor to welcome this cross-border gathering of wisdom in a city so rich in cultural heritage, and pledged to continue contributing to the popularization and development of abacus and mental arithmetic, making it a bond that connects young people from different countries.
(Leaders and Guests Launch the Competition)
A total of 254 contestants from 28 teams from 11 countries and regions — Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Tonga, the United States, Uzbekistan, China, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong SAR, China — participated in the competition. Both the number of participating countries/regions and the number of contestants reached new highs, fully demonstrating the power of abacus as an intangible cultural heritage to unite and inspire across cultures and borders.
(Competition Scene)
The competition featured five groups: Group of Contestant, Group A, Group B, Group C, and Group D. Team events were held for all groups. Individual all-around competitions were conducted for the Group of Contestant, Group A, and Group B, while individual events were held for Group C and Group D. The competition innovatively introduced featured events integrating abacus and mental arithmetic with digital and intelligent technologies, which are Flash Calculation and Marathon Calculation. Contestants from various countries competed on the same stage, challenging their limits and surpassing themselves, fully demonstrating their dedication to excellence and solid, refined competitive skills.
(WAAMA President Ou Wenhan Presents the Team Grand Prize to the Contestant Group Winners)
During the competition, CAMAA organized the exhibition titled "Abacus Aligns with Stars, Hearts Soar to Glory — Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition of Abacus," which vividly presented the historical origins and contemporary value of abacus culture through illustrations and texts. Chinese abacus and mental arithmetic contestants engaged in a computing duel with intelligent robots, while contestants from the United States and Uzbekistan presented featured performances. Beijing intangible cultural heritage inheritors performed alongside young members of the Zhongguancun Martial Arts Team, showcasing national and municipal (district-level) intangible cultural heritage items such as Baizhifang Lion Dance, traditional vocal mimicry, and Chinese martial arts. The competition served as a platform for cross-cultural exchanges, offering a vivid testament to the vitality and creativity of traditional Chinese culture and presenting a dynamic picture of multicultural interaction and integration.
WAAMA was founded in Beijing in 2002. Over more than two decades of development, its 62 member units now span 22 countries and regions worldwide. Since the first "Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Competition of WAAMA" was held in 2004, a cumulative total of over 2,000 participants from around the globe have taken part across nine editions. Looking ahead, WAAMA will continue to leverage the competition platform to deepen international exchanges, pool efforts from all sectors, promote the wider dissemination of abacus and mental arithmetic culture, rejuvenate abacus wisdom in the digital age, and contribute to the flourishing development of the global abacus and mental arithmetic cause.
This competition was hosted by WAAMA, organized by CAMAA, and co-organized by the Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Association of Beijing, China and Beijing SHENMO Education Institution, China.