BELOIT, Wis. -- Later this week, a Beloit College professor will lead a group of the country's best high school physics students to an international competition.

This year's competition is in Iran, school officials said, which poses a risk to the team. The professor said that the risky trip is worth the challenges, WISC-TV reported.

"The decision to participate should not be based on where the country is," physics professor Paul Stanley said.

He said that competing in the Physics Olympiad is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"You can think about it like a chess game. Chess, it takes 10 minutes to learn the moves. It takes a lifetime to become a Grand Master," Stanley said.

Stanley said that he is honored to lead five of the most gifted high school physics students in the country to this year's competition.

"They have an eagerness and freshness many college students do not have," he said.

But as Stanley prepares for the July trip, parents of the competing teenagers are asking serious questions about the location for this year's competition: Isfahan, Iran.

Stanley, who is coaching in his fifth Olympiad, said that he holds no concerns over safety. Each of the more than 70 teams in the competition will be accompanied by two local Iranian guides 24 hours a day, he said.

"There is no reason to believe our students are inherently unsafe going to that country. We should go. This should not be politics," Stanley said. "The Iranian people are going to welcome us."

While others voiced concern over the destination, Stanley said that his team is focused on the competition.

"Being able to share this common interest that transcends cultures and languages. The kids are really looking forward to that," Stanley said

The Olympiad runs 10 days, ending with an awards ceremony that's expected to draw some of Iran's top officials, he said.

While Stanley is from Beloit College, none of the students competing are from Wisconsin.