Uzbekistan will host the International Informatics Olympiad (IOI) for the first time in its history. The thirty-eighth edition of this competition will take place from August 9 to 16, bringing together 386 students from 97 countries.
Uzbekistan will host the International Informatics Olympiad (IOI) for the first time in its history. The thirty-eighth edition of this competition will take place from August 9 to 16, bringing together 386 students from 97 countries.
According to data from the Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan, the total number of participants, including delegation leaders, coaches, members of the international committee, and guests, will exceed 900 people. Details of the preparations for the Olympiad were presented at a press conference held in Tashkent.
The Ministry reported that the preparation of the national team of Uzbekistan began in November 2025. About ten training camps were organized with the participation of specialists from Kazakhstan, Poland, and Romania. After selecting from 100 students, two national teams were formed, each consisting of eight people.
Uzbekistan was granted the right to host the Olympiad in 2023. The country's proposal was approved during the 35th IOI, which took place from August 28 to September 4 in Szeged, Hungary.
The International Informatics Olympiad annually gathers high school students from around the world for problem-solving competitions that involve analysis, algorithm and data structure development, programming, and testing. Each country is represented by a team of four students, accompanied by a head and deputy head of the delegation. The competition lasts two days, during which participants individually solve three algorithmic problems in a five-hour session each day.
The official symbol of IOI 2026 is the Humo bird. The logo design includes geometric shapes, lines resembling electronic circuits, as well as binary digits 0 and 1. The binary sequence in the logo reflects the year of the Olympiad and the organizing country.
In December 2026, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, will become a venue for international events, including the global final of the STEAM AHEAD 2026 Olympiad and the Young Achievers Leadership Academy program.
Sanjar Tadjiev, Deputy Chairman of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, and Henry Ong, President of the Singapore International Master Competitions Centre (SIMCC), were involved in preparing for these events.
According to the Tourism Committee, the international events will last two weeks and are expected to attract over 3,000 talented schoolchildren, teachers, international experts, jury members, and representatives of official delegations from more than 40 countries.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the measures necessary to ensure a high level of organization for these events. The Tourism Committee noted that holding intellectual forums in December, which is traditionally a period of reduced seasonal activity in the global tourism market, should contribute to increasing the number of foreign guests, promoting business and MICE tourism, and strengthening Uzbekistan's attractiveness as a tourist destination.
The Committee also predicts that the arrival of participants and accompanying persons will increase demand for hotel services, transportation, catering, excursion services, and other tourism services, positively impacting economic activity in the tourism sector. Furthermore, the forum will demonstrate Uzbekistan's potential in intellectual, educational, and MICE tourism, while simultaneously strengthening Tashkent's status as an international platform for major events.
The Executive Committee of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has approved Uzbekistan as the host country for the AFC U-17 Cup in 2027. This decision was made at the organization's last meeting.
Furthermore, the committee confirmed that Saudi Arabia will host the AFC U-17 Cup in 2029. Japan was also selected to hold the AFC U-23 Cup in 2028.
This tournament will serve as a qualifying competition for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Amendments to the rules governing AFC club and youth competitions were approved at the meeting. Starting from the 2026/27 season, the AFC Elite Champions League will be held in a new format involving 32 teams. These changes will also affect the qualification system for the AFC U-20 Cup.
