Uzbekistan wins four medals at IOI 2026 in Tashkent
Uzbekistan’s national team has recorded its strongest result in the history of the International Olympiad in Informatics, with all four official competitors winning medals at IOI 2026 in Tashkent.
The team finished with one silver and three bronze medals at the 38th edition of the competition, which brought together hundreds of the world’s strongest school-age programmers.
Jahonali Khaydaraliev, a ninth-grade student at the Muhammad al-Khwarizmi School, won silver. Timur Kadirbergenov of the Nukus Presidential School, Ulugbek Rakhmatullaev of the Namangan Presidential School and Jahongirshoh Avazkhonov, also from the Namangan Presidential School, each received bronze medals.
Sardorbek Salimov, a student at the Presidential School in Navoi, also received an Honourable Mention.
The result marks the first time every member of Uzbekistan’s four-person official IOI team has won a medal at the same edition of the competition. Uzbekistan had previously made progress at the event, including its first silver and bronze medals at the 2025 IOI in Bolivia.
Tashkent hosts world’s leading young programmers
IOI 2026 was held in Tashkent from August 9-16, marking the first time Uzbekistan has hosted the competition.
The event is regarded as the world’s leading international programming contest for secondary school students and has been held annually since 1989. Participants compete individually by solving complex algorithmic problems under strict time limits, with medals awarded according to their scores.
More than 386 students from over 97 countries registered for this year’s competition, while the total number of participants, including team leaders, organisers, guests and international committee members, exceeded 900, according to Uzbekistan’s Digital Technologies Ministry.
The competition formed part of an eight-day programme that included two five-hour contest sessions alongside workshops, seminars and excursions around Tashkent.
Uzbekistan was allowed to field two teams as the host country. Eight students were selected through national trials, with four competing as the official team and four participating as an unofficial second team.
The official team consisted of Khaydaraliev, Kadirbergenov, Rakhmatullaev and Avazkhonov. The second group included Salimov, Humoyun Abduraupov, Ulugbek Kamalov and Ravshan Rahmiddinov.
