Yes. This quotation from Goro Shimura sums it up, IMHO:
> "Though such a competition may have its raison d'être, I think those younger people who are seriously interested in mathematics will lose nothing by ignoring it."
And that's what it comes down to. Are these competitions fundamentally necessary to someone's development as a mathematician? Shimura seems to be saying something like, "Eh. Not really. If you don't like them, you don't need them."
On the other hand, if you don't like the competitions, you probably would not meet like-minded people going there (assuming other participants like them).
Maybe we need alternative avenues for maths nerds to meet each other.
> "Though such a competition may have its raison d'être, I think those younger people who are seriously interested in mathematics will lose nothing by ignoring it."
And that's what it comes down to. Are these competitions fundamentally necessary to someone's development as a mathematician? Shimura seems to be saying something like, "Eh. Not really. If you don't like them, you don't need them."