Kevin Yamal Cobel Miranda has spent half a year preparing for the biggest challenge of his young life. The 14-year-old will face more than 70 arithmetic problems in just five minutes, competing against hundreds of children from around the world. But when asked about the upcoming tournament, he does not talk about nerves or pressure. He talks about his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“I am very excited because at last they can come to see our beautiful country, meet its people, its culture, the food. They will know that Panama is a very beautiful country,” Miranda said. Aloha Mental Arithmetic<\/a> has chosen Panama City as the host for its World Championship on July 26. Nearly 1,000 children from more than 20 nations will gather at the Panama Convention Center<\/a> for the event.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The competition marks a significant milestone for the Central American nation. Organizers say Panama earned this honor through strong performances by its young competitors at previous international tournaments held in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Russia and China. The global program’s leadership took notice of the Panamanian results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“Thanks to the good representation that we Panamanians have had in these international championships, the international organization became interested in Panama,” explained Adrian Cedeno, director of the program in Panama. [Translated from Spanish]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n