Saudi Students Secure Historic Silver as Team Takes Three IOI Awards
The Saudi Informatics Team has recorded a historic result at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI 2026), winning three awards in the 38th edition of the competition, hosted by Uzbekistan. The haul includes the Kingdom’s first-ever silver medal at IOI, lifting Saudi Arabia’s all-time tally to 14 international awards.
The Olympiad ran from August 9 to 16 and brought together 386 students from 97 countries in one of the world’s premier competitions for computer science and programming.
First Saudi Silver Medal
Mohammed Nasser Al-Asmari, from the Education Department at the Royal Commission for Jubail, won the silver medal — the first for the Kingdom since it began competing in IOI.
Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Aiban, from the General Directorate of Education in Riyadh, took the bronze medal, while Saad Bandar Al-Arifi, also from Riyadh’s education directorate, received a certificate of merit.
With these results, Saudi Arabia’s cumulative record at the Olympiad stands at 14 awards: one silver, eight bronze, and five certificates of merit.
Steady Gains Year on Year
The 2026 performance underscores steady progress in the team’s international results. Last year, Saudi students secured one bronze medal and two certificates of merit; this year’s silver medal marks a further step forward.
Moreover, the gains reflect ongoing preparation and qualification programs designed to build student capabilities in computer science and to strengthen performance in specialized international contests.
Four-Student Squad
Four secondary-school students represented the Kingdom in Tashkent. They were selected through successive training and qualification stages overseen by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education under the Mawhiba International Olympiads Program, and sponsored by Tatweer Education Holding Company.
Ahead of the international event, the team completed an intensive preparation program featuring training camps, qualifying competitions, and full IOI simulations, with a focus on problem analysis, strategy development, and delivering efficient programming solutions.
Global Benchmark in Programming
IOI is among the world’s leading science competitions in computing. Competitors participate individually, solving tasks that demand advanced skills in problem analysis, algorithm design, data structures, programming, and rigorous solution testing.
First held in 1989, IOI has grown into a global platform that gathers top school students in computer science and programming to compete at the highest level in informatics and algorithmic thinking.
Raising Bar
The latest results give the Saudi Informatics Team further momentum to strengthen its standing in international competitions. The first silver medal is a landmark in the Kingdom’s IOI journey and signals the rising profile of Saudi talent in advanced technical and scientific fields.
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