The Saudi Informatics Team won six international medals at the 19th Junior Balkan Olympiad in Informatics (JBOI 2026), held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, with students from 13 countries taking part.
Saudi students claimed four silver medals and two bronze medals in the Kingdom’s first official participation in the Olympiad. The achievement came through Mawhiba’s International Olympiad Program, implemented by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) in partnership with the Ministry of Education.
The silver medals were won by Fares Yasser Al-Radadi of the General Directorate of Education in Madinah Region; Hashem Ibrahim Basyouni of the General Directorate of Education at the Royal Commission in Yanbu; and Riyadh-based students Ahmed Mohammed Al-Hussein and Eyad Emad Al-Khalifa.
The bronze medals went to Mohammed Abdulkhaleq Al-Battat of the General Directorate of Education in the Eastern Province and Al-Reem Ali Al-Mutawa of the General Directorate of Education in Al-Ahsa Governorate.
All members of the Saudi team received international medals, marking a notable achievement in the Kingdom’s first official participation in the competition.
Before competing, the students completed an extensive training and preparation program that included a series of training camps and qualifying competitions to assess their abilities and select the top performers. They also took part in simulation contests designed to strengthen problem-solving skills and develop algorithmic thinking strategies.
The training program extends over two to four years and prepares students gradually for regional and international competitions.
Junior Balkan Olympiad
The Junior Balkan Olympiad in Informatics is an annual programming and algorithms competition designed to inspire talented students and encourage them to develop their computer science skills. It brings together students from Balkan countries and several nations from outside the region.
The Olympiad was launched in 2007 in Belgrade, Serbia, and has since been hosted by different Balkan countries. It aims to promote interest in computer science and informatics among younger students and develop their ability to solve problems through programming. Sarajevo hosted its 19th edition this year.
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