Students from Iran have achieved success in various international competitions. They won medals and honorable mentions at the 9th International Olympiad in Economics (IEO 2026), held from July 12 to 20 in Shenzhen, China, as well as at the 38th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), which took place from August 9 to 16 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
At IEO 2026, the Iranian team secured one silver and three bronze medals. In the IOI competition, Iranian students won two silver medals, one bronze medal, and an honorable mention.
This year, 270 students from 54 countries participated in IEO. Mobin Karimi Dizichekh won a silver medal, along with receiving an honorable mention and the 'Best in Finance' award, according to the Borna agency. Mohammadhossein Rahimi Nejad, Alireza Atashi, and Ehsan Zolfaghari received bronze medals.
IEO is an annual competition for high school students worldwide in the fields of economics and finance. The Olympiad is supported by Eric Maskin, a Nobel laureate in Economics in 2007. The goals of IEO include transforming global education in economics, finance, and business through competition and cooperation, as well as stimulating innovation and cultural exchange among young economists.
Meanwhile, 386 students from over 97 countries participated in this year's IOI competition. Hamed Ghaffariaghas and Arash Ostadsharif-Memar placed in silver, while Mohammad Shayan won a bronze medal. Bahamin Shafaki received an honorable mention.
IOI is one of several annually held international scientific olympiads. Outstanding high school students from different countries compete in this prestigious algorithmic contest to hone their skills in informatics, such as problem analysis, algorithm development and data structures, programming, and testing. IOI is considered the most prestigious computer olympiad for middle and high school students worldwide.
The goals of IOI are to identify and support talented youth in the field of informatics, promote friendly international relations among computer specialists, draw youth attention to the discipline of informatics, and encourage countries to host future IOIs on their territory. Each participating country forms a team of no more than four participants who compete in a two-day format. Each participant competes individually, solving three algorithmic problems over five hours each day.
Previously, Iran won at the 37th IOI, held in Sucre, Bolivia, where it won one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal, according to ISNA. Amir Ali Asgari took gold, Mani Zare and Hamed Ghaffari took silver, and Kiaras Rezaei took bronze.
Iranian students also demonstrated outstanding results in other olympiads. They won one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal at the 3rd International Olympiad on Artificial Intelligence (IOAI 2026), which was held from August 2 to 8 in Astana, Kazakhstan. IOAI is an international scientific AI olympiad for high school students aimed at inspiring youth in science, focusing on AI. The competition provides a platform for leading AI students selected through national competitions to exchange ideas and build connections, fostering dialogue about the possibilities and ethical issues of AI.
Shayan Rezaeizadeh won the gold medal, Mohammad-Reza Darvishi and Mohammad-Amin Nazmfar received silver medals, and Mani Monjipour received a bronze medal, according to IRNA. This year, over 120 teams, comprising more than 500 students from 103 countries and territories, participated in tasks related to AI and Machine Learning (ML).
Iranian students showed brilliant results at the International Biology Olympiad (IBO), winning three gold medals and one silver, and at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), receiving three silver and one bronze medal.
The 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO 2026) took place from July 12 to 19 in Vilnius, Lithuania, gathering participants from about 80 countries across five continents. Radin Bayani, Mohammad-Reza Vaezi, and Amir-Hossein Nosrati won gold medals, while Amir-Hossein Hemmati won silver, reports IRIB.
The 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO 2026) was held from July 10 to 19 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with over 350 students from 90 countries participating. Ali Shamsi-Mofakhar, Mahyar Najjar, and Amir-Reza Hosseini won silver medals, and Ariyo Seirafi won bronze.
A five-member team of Iranian students achieved remarkable success, winning three gold and two silver medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO). IPhO 2026 took place from July 4 to 12 in Bucaramanga, Colombia, gathering over 400 students from more than 90 countries. Hirbod Foudazi, Kian Zarrabian, and Mohammad Mirmohammadi won gold medals, while Amir-Sam Goharpay and Nima Kushki took silver medals.
Iran's physics team demonstrated a stunning triumph at the 2026 International Science Olympiad in Physics, winning two gold, one silver, and one bronze medal. Hirbod Foudazi ranked first among all participants, earning the title of absolute winner by achieving the best result in the theoretical exam and winning a gold medal and a national diamond, according to IRNA.
Amir-Sam Goharpay won the second gold medal; Kian Zarrabian and Mohammad Mirmohammadi received silver and bronze medals, respectively. Four Iranian female students participated in the Open Geo 2026 International Geography Olympiad, winning four medals for the first time, including one silver and three bronze. Artina Heidari won a silver medal; Setaeesh Haknazari, Sana Karbalai Vali, and Gelia Hodabandelu received bronze medals, reports IRIB.
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.
Students from Iran achieved victory at the third edition of the International Artificial Intelligence Olympiad (IOAI 2026), which took place from August 2 to 8 in Astana, Kazakhstan. IOAI is an international scientific AI olympiad for high school students, aimed at inspiring youth worldwide to study science, with a special focus on AI.
The competition serves as a platform for top AI students selected through national contests to exchange ideas and establish contacts. This promotes dialogue among students and the public regarding the possibilities and ethical issues of AI.
According to IRNA, Shayan Rezaeizadeh won the gold medal, Mohammad-Reza Darvishi and Mohammad-Amin Nazmfar received silver medals, and Mani Monjipour was awarded the bronze medal.
This year, over 120 teams participated, comprising more than 500 students from 103 countries and territories worldwide. Each country's participation was limited to two teams of four students, who worked under the guidance of a team leader. The Olympiad tests skills in machine learning, data science, and solving AI problems.
IOAI this year included three main modules. The first was the Individual Contest, where participants independently solved AI and machine learning tasks, demonstrating personal expertise in algorithm development, model training, and data analysis. The second was the Team Challenge, requiring teams to collaborate on complex, multifaceted AI problems that demanded coordination, diverse skills, and a creative approach.
The third module was the Generative AI Talent Expansion Contest (GAITE). This was a simplified version of the Individual Contest. The tasks in GAITE are similar to those in the Individual Contest, but the key difference is that GAITE participants are allowed to request hints. The GAITE contest has a separate leaderboard.
Previously, in 2025, an Iranian team of four high school students won two silver and two bronze medals at IOAI, held from August 2 to 9 in Beijing, China. According to IRIB, Arash Yousefnejad and Ali Shayan won silver medals, while Parsa Golestani and Radin Rahmani-Nodehi won bronze medals.
