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- 5 Saudi students compete at 2025 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics
- 黑料社区 won 3 bronze medals at the olympiad鈥檚 2024 edition in Rio de Janeiro Sanjay Kumar
NEW DELHI: Saudi students are aiming for the podium at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics held in India鈥檚 Mumbai this week, building on their team鈥檚 successful debut last year.
The IOAA is a worldwide annual competition to recognize talented high school students in astronomy and astrophysics through a series of theoretical, practical and experimental tests.
This year, the event featuring 320 students from 64 countries is organized by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education 鈥� a national center of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research 鈥� in Mumbai from Aug. 11-21.
The Saudi team has been trained by Mawhiba 鈥� the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, a non-profit endowment dedicated to nurturing young talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 鈥� with support from the Ministry of Education, the Saudi Space Agency, and NEO Space Group.
鈥淭his year, five talented students were nominated to be part of the Saudi national team after highly competitive and rigorous qualification stages that spanned almost a year,鈥� Talal Al-Dawood, supervisor of the astronomy and space program at Mawhiba, told Arab News.
鈥淚t goes without saying that they are extremely proud and excited to represent the Kingdom in such a prestigious international event.鈥�
黑料社区鈥檚 national team at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics pose for a photo with their team leaders in Mumbai on Aug. 12, 2025. (Mawhiba)
The IOAA was first held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2007. 黑料社区 debuted in the competition at its 2024 edition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with its three-member team winning three bronze medals.
鈥淕iven this remarkable success in our debut year, our students are now setting their goals on even higher achievements. With more experience and a larger team, we have every reason to be optimistic about surpassing last year鈥檚 performance,鈥� Al-Dawood said.
鈥淚n the Kingdom, scientific olympiads hold tremendous significance for our high school students. Thousands compete annually for the honor of raising the Saudi flag on the winners鈥� podium.鈥�
Besides examinations, students will also take part in several excursions in and around Mumbai.
鈥淪ince the announcement of the IOAA 2025 host last year, everyone has been looking forward to this opportunity. India has long established itself as one of the most exceptional hosts for scientific olympiads 鈥� Our students were absolutely thrilled to be here,鈥� Al-Dawood said.
鈥淔or them, this represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase their talents on a global stage and bring honor to their nation.鈥�