RIYADH: The Saudi informatics team won four international awards at the 33rd Balkan Olympiad in Informatics in Tirana, Albania, with 75 students representing 18 countries.

Saad Bandar Al-Arifi, from the General Directorate of Education in Riyadh, won a silver medal, marking the Kingdom’s first silver medal in the Olympiad’s history.

Bronze medals went to Fares Yasser Al-Raddadi from Madinah and Mohammed Abdulrahman Bashkiel from Jeddah. Hashem Ibrahim Basyouni from Yanbu received a certificate of appreciation.

The results bring the Kingdom’s total tally at the Olympiad to 17 awards across four participations: one silver medal, eight bronze medals and eight certificates of appreciation.

The achievement is part of the Mawhiba International Olympiad Program, implemented by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education.

The program operates through training camps and initiatives supervised by local and international experts to hone students’ skills and develop their scientific and competitive abilities.

Team members underwent progressive training camps and programs, including qualifying competitions, tests and simulations of international contests, to assess their skills and select top participants.

The preparation focused on problem-solving, algorithm development, computational thinking and complex tasks.

The training and qualification journey under the Mawhiba International Olympiad Program spans two to four years, providing systematic preparation for regional and international Olympiads and enhancing students’ readiness to represent the Kingdom at global scientific forums.