National Geographic World Championship 2009

Canadians take gold medal at World Championship!

Date: July 15th, 2009
Location: Mexico City, MX
Team Canada: Peter Brandt, Chris Chiavatti and Graham Tompkins

A team of three Canadian students — Peter Brandt, Chris Chiavatti and Graham Tompkins — won the gold medal today at the National Geographic World Championship in Mexico City. The Canadian team led the entire way throughout the Final and finished on top with a 12-point lead. The United States finished second with a score of 25/50 and Poland finished third with a score of 24/50.

The Final, moderated by Alex Trebek, host of the popular U.S. television quiz show “Jeopardy!”, was the culmination of two days of intense competition that covered all aspects of geography, including map-reading and teamwork skills. The Canadian team successfully beat out teams from 14 other countries to reach today's final.

The Canadian team was comprised of Peter Brandt, age 15, from Ste. Anne, Manitoba; Chris Chiavatti, age 15, from Burnaby, British Columbia; and Graham Tompkins, age 16, from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

“They worked very well as a team and we are extremely proud of these students for what they’ve accomplished at the National Geographic World Championship. I know they will always treasure their Canadian Geographic Challenge and World Championship experiences,” said Beth Dye, Chair of the Canadian Geographic Education (formerly Canadian Council for Geographic Education) who accompanied the team. The CCGE organizes the annual Canadian Geographic Challenge, a national student geography competition – sponsored by HSBC Bank Canada and The Royal Canadian Geographical Society – where the winners qualify for the World Championship.  More than 108,000 students in 582 schools across the country participated in this year’s Challenge.