In Bulgaria, during the XIV International Autumn Informatics Tournament, a team of Russian schoolchildren earned six gold medals and two silver medals. The event took place in Shumen from November 23 to 27, and the results were reported by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. The success showcased Russia’s depth in youth IT talent on an international stage, highlighting both the skill level of the participants and the strength of the country’s training pipelines for young programmers.
Russian teams were organized into two age groups, juniors and high school students, following the outcomes of June summer training camps. These camps gathered the top performers from the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren, ensuring that the teams represented the strongest performers from the national competition circuit. The selection process emphasized not only individual mastery but also collective teamwork and problem-solving under pressure, reflecting the country’s holistic approach to IT education.
Participants from Russia competed remotely with supervision from their respective regions, a format that allowed for rigorous oversight while maintaining the flexibility of distance participation. The tournament drew teams from twenty countries, underscoring its international scope and the broad range of contest formats that engage young coders worldwide. Remarkably, every member of both the senior and junior Russian teams was recognized with an award, a testament to the consistent high standard maintained by the national program across age categories.
Sergey Kravtsov, the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation, commented on the Bulgarian event, noting the high level of knowledge demonstrated by the contestants. He highlighted the importance of ongoing development opportunities for schoolchildren in IT and related fields, pointing to initiatives like engineering-focused classes and additional courses in computer science and robotics. The minister also applauded the coaches whose dedication and careful preparation contributed to the teams’ success. He stressed that achievements on the international stage inspire other students to strive harder, to excel, and to represent their schools and their country with pride, while continuing to push their own boundaries.