ISL 2017 C2
Let be a positive integer. Define a chameleon to be any sequence of letters, with exactly occurrences of each of the letters , and . Define a swap to be the transposition of two adjacent letters in a chameleon. Prove that for any chameleon , there exists a chameleon such that cannot be changed to using fewer than swaps. (Australia)
Dataset text NuminaMath olympiads. Quoted with source.
Official text: IMO 2017 Shortlist booklet, page 8.
Solutions
Official solution Solution 1 by the IMO Problem Selection Committee
The terms of the source let olymmath link to this solution but not copy it. Read the solution (IMO official site).