TRIB - Bhav Jain of Murrysville was more than happy to attend the�USA Biology Olympiad�and meet up with some of the nation�s best science students this June in San Diego.


He was even happier to finish with a bronze medal among the top 12, qualifying for the�2018 International Science Olympiad�as a Team USA member.


The venue for the final competition, however � Tehran, Iran � ultimately proved problematic, particularly after President Trump decided that the United States would withdraw from a nuclear deal with the Middle Eastern country.


That led to Team USA�s decision not to attend.


�It was a painfully made decision, after lengthy consideration and conversation at a board of trustees meeting,� said Joann DiGennaro, president at the Center for Excellence in Education, which oversees the USA Biology Olympiad.


DiGennaro said that up until May, �we were planning to have the team go, and that was with the help of U.S. Ambassador Thomas Pickering, who had spoken with the Iranian consulate.�


Jain, a rising senior at Franklin Regional, said he had concerns but was confident the team could make a safe trip to Iran.


�I thought it would be OK, but I definitely was a little worried overall,� he said. �It�s a region known for a lot of issues.�


The U.S. State Department issued a standing travel advisory for Iran on Jan. 10, noting there is a �very high risk of arbitrary arrest and detention of U.S. citizens� in the country. And despite DiGennaro�s conversations with Pickering, the federal government does not have official diplomatic or consular relations with Iran.


Team USA members were excited coming out of the national competition.


�Nationals was awesome,� Jain said. �I met 19 of the smartest students in the nation, and we learned a lot about animal and molecular biology.�


Team USA students regularly come home with some of the top medals from the international competition.


�We did inquire as to whether they could take the written exam (in the U.S.), but there would�ve been transparency issues, and probably a lot of complaints from other nations,� DiGennaro said.


On May 8, the U.S. officially withdrew from the�Iran nuclear deal�, which among other things placed restrictions on Iran�s enrichment of uranium. On May 12, DiGennaro requested a written commitment from the Iranian consulate assuring the safety of Team USA members.


After waiting two weeks with no response, DiGennaro decided to pull out of the international competition.


�I received messages from many parents after we pulled out, that they agreed with the decision,� she said. �We were also getting a lot of questions from Western nations about whether the U.S. was going to participate.�


For Jain and his fellow Team USA members, it was simultaneously a relief and a disappointment.


�In the end, it was out of my hands,� he said.


The larger world of international politics put Team USA in a tough position, DiGennaro said.


�It is sad, but I think it was the wise thing to do,� she said of withdrawing from the competition, which took place July 15-22 in Tehran.