The 28th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) was held on August 12-19 in Kazan, Russia. IOI is one of the most recognized computer science competitions in the world with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNECO) and the International Federation for Information Procession (IFIP) being patrons. It is an annual international informatics competition for youngsters from 6 to 20 years old, organized in one of the member states in the International Informatics Committee.
During the competition, students have to solve problems of algorithmic nature and computer programing. IOI aims at stimulating interest in informatics and information technology among young generations, as well as bringing together talented students from various countries to share scientific and cultural experiences.
Contestants have to show basic IT skills like problem analysis, designing algorithms and data structures, programming and testing. The idea of the competition was first introduced during the 24th General Conference of UNESCO in Paris by the Bulgarian Delegate Professor Bojidar Sendov in October 1987. In 1989, the first IOI was held in Bulgaria to become an event hosted every year by a different country.
Egypt, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) took part in this year’s IoI with a team comprising four competitors including Ahmed Alaa Abdel Gawad, Ayman Gamal Abdullah, Sherif Mostafa Mamdouh and Mahmoud Badway who won a bronze medal.
MCIT has been keen to support and sponsor the participation of Egypt in the IOI. Egypt received several medals, over the past years, which reflects the fruitful outcome of the Ministry’s strategy encouraging the use of information technology among youth through specialized contests in informatics.
Egypt has a similar competition, named the Egyptian Olympiad in Informatics. The competition is held under the auspices of MCIT and the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport represented in the Regional Centre for Informatics. In 2003, the first Egyptian Olympiad in Informatics was organized.
