Saudi Arabia Participates in International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics for First Time

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The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) has kicked off on August 17, marking the first Saudi participation in the history of IOAA, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The Kingdom’s participation represents a collaborative effort of King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), the Communications, Space and Technology Commission, and the Ministry of Education.

A brilliant Saudi team of high school students are currently representing the Kingdom in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, competing with nearly 250 students from 50 countries.

Students will go through various meetings and trainings. Then some of them will be selected for qualification to participate in international competitions based on their performance during the training period.

During the Olympiad, the participants will take two tests:

Theoretical test to measure their knowledge and understanding of astronomy and astrophysics
Practical test to observe astronomical objects and analyze data

The Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad is an annual international competition for high school students.

Last year, the Kingdom participated with an observer team to prepare for this year’s competitions.