The 38th International Olympiad in Informatics among schoolchildren, known as IOI 2026, has started in the city of Tashkent. Uzbekistan is hosting one of the largest global programming competitions for schoolchildren for the first time.
The competition began on August 10 in Tashkent. This year, 386 students participated in the Olympiad, representing 97 countries. The total number of people who arrived in Tashkent, including coaches, international committee representatives, guests, and observers, exceeded 900.
Hosting IOI is of great importance for Uzbekistan, as the country is staging this event for the first time, and the number of participating countries has reached a record level in the history of the Olympiad.
Minister of Preschool and School Education E'zozhon Karimova emphasized that the implementation of the Olympiad is a result of constant attention to educational development and support for talented young people. She also reported that winners of international olympiads receive substantial financial assistance: a student who wins a gold medal at major international competitions can expect an amount exceeding 1 billion soums, and their mentor will receive a large cash bonus.
Many participants used the trip to Tashkent as their first opportunity to get to know Uzbekistan. Santiago from Colombia, who is participating in IOI for the third time, shared positive impressions, noting that Uzbekistan is very different from his perceptions, but in a good way. He highly praised the kindness of the local residents and the beauty of the architecture, as well as the organization of the event he had been preparing for about four years.
Uzbekistan's selection to host IOI also carries symbolic meaning, as the country is the homeland of the outstanding scientist Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, whose name is closely associated with the development of algebra and the concept of an algorithm. Organizers pay attention to the country's scientific heritage, introducing participants to its culture and history.
Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov noted that hosting the Olympiad attracted the attention of major international technology corporations, among which he named NVIDIA and OpenAI. Furthermore, Telegram founder Pavel Durov supported the event in the land of al-Khwarizmi and established special Algorithm Cups for participants.
Uzbekistan has participated in the International Olympiad in Informatics since 2015, during which time the national team has won silver and bronze medals. At IOI 2025, Uzbek schoolchildren managed to win silver and bronze medals. Preparation for the current tournament began in November 2025. About ten training camps were held for the national team with the involvement of specialists from Kazakhstan, Poland, and Romania.
The main task of the team now is to surpass last year's results and compete for gold medals. Sherzod Shermatov expressed hope for victory, stating: 'We received bronze for the first time, then silver. We hope for gold this time.' The head coach of the Kazakhstan team, Temirlan Sadylkhanov, also emphasized the length of the preparation, adding that the result depends on the students themselves.
According to Mukhlisa Kudayberganova, head of the Center for Digital Education Development, Uzbekistan was granted the right to host the Olympiad as early as 2023, after which preparatory work began. Representatives of the country studied the experience of holding IOI in Egypt in 2024 and in Bolivia in 2025, familiarizing themselves with the technical aspects and the competition system.
At the closing ceremony of IOI 2025 in Bolivia, Uzbekistan was officially presented with the Olympiad flag. Now Tashkent has turned into an international arena for young programmers from around the world for several days. In addition to the competition itself, cultural events have been organized for guests, allowing them to get acquainted with the history and culture of Uzbekistan, including visiting the Islamic Civilization Center. IOI 2026 is scheduled until August 16.
