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## Overview The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) — described as the world's most important mathematics conference and the venue for awarding the prestigious Fields Medal — is facing a growing global boycott movement over its 2026 location in Philadelphia, United States (SCMP). ## Details More than 2,300 mathematicians from at least 76 countries have signed an online petition calling to "move the 2026 ICM out of the US" and committing "not to participate in the ICM" if it remains in the US, according to SCMP. The article raises the question of whether Chinese mathematicians will join this boycott effort, framing the US as becoming an "outlier" within the global mathematics community (SCMP). ## Context The boycott appears linked to broader tensions between the US and international academic communities, including visa and immigration policy concerns, US-China academic frictions, and geopolitical strain more broadly. The dispute reflects wider patterns of academic and scientific communities responding to US immigration and foreign policy through professional boycotts and conference relocations. ## Why This Matters For entities tracking US soft power and international scientific cooperation, this is a signal of eroding US standing as a neutral host for global academic and scientific gatherings. A successful boycott or relocation could set precedent for other international scientific bodies reconsidering US-based events, with downstream effects on US academic institutions, talent recruitment, and global collaboration in STEM fields — themes already visible in related stories about US-China academic visa restrictions and Chinese researcher return migration. ## Connections Related to broader US-China science and technology decoupling trends, including academic visa restrictions and talent flows.