Saudi informatics team wins first-ever silver at International Olympiad

Saudi Arabia’s informatics team achieved a historic milestone at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI 2026) in Uzbekistan, securing three international awards, including the Kingdom’s first-ever silver medal in the competition’s history.

Mohammed Nasser Al-Asmari, a student from the Royal Commission for Jubail Education, won the silver medal. Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Aiban, from Riyadh’s General Directorate of Education, earned a bronze medal, while Saad Bandar Al-Araifi, also from Riyadh’s General Directorate of Education, received a certificate of merit.

The 38th edition of the Olympiad featured 386 students from 97 countries and is being hosted by Uzbekistan from August 9 to 16.

With this achievement, Saudi Arabia’s total at the International Olympiad in Informatics now stands at 14 international awards: one silver medal, eight bronze medals, and five certificates of merit.

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Al-Asmari’s silver medal is especially significant as it is the first for Saudi Arabia since it began participating in the Olympiad. The Saudi team continues to improve its results, having won a bronze medal and two certificates of merit in last year’s edition.

This year, the Kingdom was represented by four high school students, who underwent a training and qualification program supervised by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba), in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education, as part of the Mawhiba International Olympiads Program and with sponsorship from Tatweer Educational Holding Company.

The preparation journey included intensive training camps, qualifying and simulation competitions, all aimed at developing students’ problem-solving and strategy-building skills, culminating in the selection of the national team members for international competition.