The International Olympiad in Informatics in 2026 will take place in Uzbekistan

From August 28th to September 3rd, the 35th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI 2023) took place in Hungary.

The event was attended by a delegation from Uzbekistan, led by the Deputy General Director of IT Park Uzbekistan, Ms. Makhliyo Muksinova. The delegation conducted a presentation to the IOI Commission and submitted an application to host the Olympiad in 2026 in Uzbekistan. During the presentation, the country's potential, favorable and secure conditions, as well as the measures being implemented to establish Uzbekistan as a Central Asian IT hub, were showcased.

At the closing ceremony of IOI 2023, held on September 3rd, the Commission officially announced that the International Olympiad in Informatics will be hosted in Uzbekistan in 2026.

This year, 346 students from 89 countries participated in IOI. As a result of the two stages of the Olympiad, representatives from Uzbekistan achieved bronze medals for the first time in history. The winners were:

• Dilyorbek Valijonov — a student in the 11th grade of the Presidential School in Andijan;
• Dilshodbek Khodjaev — a student in the 11th grade of the specialized school in the Almazar district in Tashkent.

It is noteworthy highlighting the preparatory efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Digital Technologies in collaboration with the Ministry of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan. For instance, a significant contribution was made through the organization of a 10-day training program, known as a Bootcamp, for the candidates aspiring to represent Uzbekistan, with the involvement of international expert Bartocz Kostka from Canada as a coach, who holds IOI medals.

Furthermore, the organization of the national selection process and the participation of the Uzbekistan national team in the 6th International Informatics Cup ISIJ 2023 played a pivotal role. During the marathon, participants from Uzbekistan secured 22 prize medals, including 5 gold, 6 silver, and 11 bronze medals.

To recap, the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) is an annual competition in the field of computer science among school students, first organized in 1989. The competition consists of two stages in which participants are tasked with solving and programming algorithmic problems. Students compete individually, and each country can have up to four participants.