Saudi math team returns home after record-breaking performance at IMO

The Saudi mathematics team has returned home after competing in the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO 2026), hosted in Shanghai, China, achieving the Kingdom’s best result to date with a total of six international medals—three silver and three bronze—among 660 students from 117 countries.

This achievement continues Saudi Arabia’s strong record in international science olympiads, as the team represented the Kingdom in the world’s largest mathematics competition for high school students, demonstrating the growing capabilities of Saudi students to compete at the highest international scientific levels.

Silver medals were awarded to Yousef Ayman Bakhit from the Royal Commission for Yanbu Education, Abdulsalam Abdullah Al-Sulami from the General Directorate of Education in Madinah, and Abdulilah Mohammed Al-Saggaf from the General Directorate of Education in Jeddah. Bronze medals went to Elias Shaker Al-Faraj and Abdullah Tariq Al-Amer from the General Directorate of Education in the Eastern Province, and Fares Mohammed Al-Kanhal from the General Directorate of Education in Riyadh.

With this result, Saudi Arabia’s tally at the International Mathematical Olympiad has reached 88 international awards since its debut in 2004, including 15 silver medals, 51 bronze medals, and 22 certificates of merit, underscoring the continued progress of Saudi students in global scientific competitions.

This success is the result of an intensive year-long training and preparation program for the team, supervised by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) in partnership with the Ministry of Education. The program, part of Mawhiba’s International Olympiads initiative, provides comprehensive scientific training and specialized camps inside and outside the Kingdom to prepare students for major international olympiads, supporting national talent competitiveness and aligning with Saudi Vision 2030’s human capital development goals.

The International Mathematical Olympiad is the oldest and most prestigious global mathematics competition for high school students. It began in 1959 in Romania with seven participating countries and has since grown to include around 120 countries worldwide.