Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is hosting the Saudi computing team for the 38th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI 2026), which runs from August 9 to 16 with students from approximately 100 countries.
According to SPA, the Kingdom is represented by four high school students. These participants were prepared under the supervision of the King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity “Mawhiba” in partnership with the Ministry of Education through the Mawhiba Program for International Olympiads.
This marks the eighth time Saudi Arabia has participated in the competition. In seven previous appearances, Saudi students earned 11 international distinctions, consisting of seven bronze medals and four certificates of merit.
Established in Bulgaria in 1989, the IOI is a major international scientific competition. Participants compete individually in tasks involving programming, data structures, algorithms, and problem analysis to develop logical reasoning and encourage specialized informatics studies.
Who represents Saudi Arabia at IOI 2026 and how were they prepared? Saudi Arabia is represented by a team of four high school students. These students received training and preparation under the supervision of the King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity “Mawhiba,” which worked in partnership with the Ministry of Education as part of the Mawhiba Program for International Olympiads.
What is the history of Saudi participation in the International Olympiad in Informatics? The 2026 event in Tashkent marks the eighth participation of Saudi Arabia in this competition. Across seven previous participations, Saudi students have achieved 11 international distinctions, which include four certificates of merit and seven bronze medals.
What are the objectives and nature of the IOI competition? Created in Bulgaria in 1989, the IOI is a scientific competition where students from around 100 countries compete individually in programming, algorithms, data structures, and problem analysis. The event aims to identify young informatics talents, enhance their problem-solving and logical reasoning abilities, and encourage them to pursue specialized studies in the field.