{"slug": "ioai-2026-concludes-in-astana-kazakhstan", "title": "IOAI 2026 Concludes in Astana, Kazakhstan", "summary": "The third International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) concluded in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 8 August 2026, with 108 participating countries and territories, 466 contestants, 126 team leaders, and 100 observers. The event featured an Individual Contest with six tasks in machine learning, computer vision, NLP, and multimodal processing, a Team Challenge with Galbot on humanoid robots, and the first IOAI² AI Model Track. The IOAI flag was handed over to Singapore, host of the 2027 edition.", "body_md": "Skip to content\nAbout\nAccreditation\nCountries & territories\nInternational Board\nInternational Scientific Committee\nRegulations\nBecome an IOAI Host\nRegional Olympiads in AI\nEducation Hub\n2026 Kazakhstan\nSchedule\nInternational Jury and HSC\nSyllabus\nContest Rules\nRegistration\nFinancial Aid 2026\nCall for tasks\nAI Model Track\nRules & Format\nFAQ\nIOAI GAITE\nGAITE Registration\nSponsors\nEditions\n2024 Bulgaria\n2024 Participating teams\n2024 Organizers\n2024 Speakers\n2024 Results & awards\n2024 Tasks\nIOAI 2024 Photos and Videos\n2025 China\nAbout Beijing\nSchedule\nContest Rules\nTeam Challenge\n2025 Participating teams\n2025 Participants\n2025 Results\nIOAI 2025 Photos and Videos\nIOAI 2025 Mascot\n2026 Kazakhstan\n2027 Singapore\nThe Bulgarian Award\nNews\nMedia kit\n2025 Press release #1\n2025 Press release #2\n2025 Press release #3\n2026 Press release #1\n2026 Press release #2\nContact us\nContact us\n\n```\n  IOAI 2026 \n  Uncategorized \n \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t10/08/2026\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\nIOAI 2026 Concludes in Astana, Kazakhstan \n\nAstana, Kazakhstan, 8 August 2026 — the last day of the third International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) in Astana, Kazakhstan, bringing to a close a week of competition, educational activities and international exchange.\nThe 2026 edition brought together delegations from 108 countries and territories, making IOAI the second largest olympiad in Scientific after IMO and marking another major step in the rapid international growth of the Olympiad.\nThe Closing Ceremony recognised the outstanding achievements of students throughout the competition and concluded with the official handover of the IOAI flag from Kazakhstan to Singapore, host of the fourth International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence in 2027.\nA Growing Global Community\nEstablished in Bulgaria in 2024, IOAI has grown from 32 participating countries and territories at its first edition to a global community of more than 130 accredited countries and territories in just three years.\nFollowing the inaugural Olympiad in Burgas, Bulgaria, IOAI 2025 in Beijing welcomed teams from 61 countries. In 2026, more than 100 countries and territories took part in the third edition in Astana.\nIOAI 2026 welcomed:\n\n108 participating countries and territories\n466 contestants\n126 team leaders\n100 observers\n\nIOAI gave 42 delegation financial support to make international AI education and Olympiad participation accessible to students from a wider range of countries and regions. Over the past two years, more than 60 countries have received financial support to participate in IOAI.\n\nCompetition Week\nAt the centre of IOAI 2026 was the Individual Contest, where students worked on tasks designed to test their knowledge, technical skills and ability to apply artificial intelligence methods in practice.\nAcross two competition days, contestants worked on six tasks covering different areas of artificial intelligence, including Machine Learning, Computer Vision, NLP and multimodal processing.\nThe academic programme was developed by the IOAI International Scientific Committee and Host Scientific Committee, bringing together researchers, academics and AI professionals from around the world.\nIOAI 2026 also continued GAITE — Global AI Talent Empowerment, an initiative designed to assist countries and territories with limited International Science Olympiad (ISO) history as they work towards joining and participating in the IOAI community on an equal footing. \nThe Olympiad also included a Team Challenge, developed in cooperation with Galbot, in which students worked together on AI solutions for humanoid robots. The challenge brought the competition closer to a real-world AI environment, combining artificial intelligence, robotics, teamwork and practical problem-solving.\nFor the first time, IOAI also introduced IOAI²: AI Model Track, putting leading AI models to the test on the same Olympiad tasks as the human contestants.\nBeyond the Competition\nIOAI is designed not only as an international competition, but also as a meeting point for students, educators, researchers and the wider AI community.\nThroughout the week in Astana, participants took part in a programme combining technology, education, international exchange and cultural activities.\nTechnology and Education\nThe programme included visits and activities at Alem.ai, Kazakhstan’s international centre for artificial intelligence, which brings together education, research, technology companies and startups in a shared AI ecosystem, as well as sessions with IOAI’s academic and technology partners.\nUnder the patronage of UNESCO, IOAI 2026 also included activities dedicated to the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence and cooperation with the laureates of the UNESCO–Uzbekistan Beruniy Prize.\nParticipants, team leaders and representatives of the international IOAI community also took part in meetings and discussions focused on AI education, the development of national and regional Olympiads of the IOAI family, and opportunities for greater international cooperation.\nCultural Programme\nAlongside the academic programme, participants had the opportunity to experience Kazakhstan and learn more about its culture and traditions through “Kazakh National Day”.\nThe programme also created opportunities for students from different countries to meet outside the competition environment, exchange ideas and build connections with peers from around the world.\nAwards\nThe Closing Ceremony recognized the strongest performances of IOAI 2026.\nIn the Individual Contest, Artem Gorokhov of Russia ranked first overall, followed by Dauzhan Beketov of Kazakhstan in second place and Shao Zixi of China in third place.\nA total of:\n\n37 Gold Medals\n73 Silver Medals\n110 Bronze Medals\n62 Honourable Mentions\n\nwere awarded in the Individual Contest.\nThe ceremony also recognized the strongest participants in GAITE — Global AI Talent Empowerment, an IOAI initiative designed to assist countries and territories with limited International Science Olympiad (ISO) history as they work towards joining and participating in the IOAI community on an equal footing.\nThe top three participants in the 2026 GAITE ranking were:\n\nKadanga Essognim Elisee — Togo\nSolevo Essaie Henoc Winner — Togo\nElizabeth Kaylin Chiou — Puerto Rico\n\nBulgarian Award for Outstanding Contribution to IOAI\nThe Bulgarian Award for Outstanding Contribution to IOAI, under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, was presented to:\n\nThe Republic of Kazakhstan, for its outstanding contribution to the development of the international IOAI movement.\nAOAI, IOAI’s Regional Olympiad in Africa, recognizing the Republic of Tunisia as host of the first African Olympiad in AI, together with the first African Board, the first African Scientific Committee and the entire African IOAI community for their vision, leadership and dedication.\nAPOAI, IOAI’s Regional Olympiad in Asia-Pacific, recognizing the People’s Republic of China as host of the first Asia-Pacific Olympiad in AI, together with the first Asia-Pacific Board, the first Asia-Pacific Scientific Committee and the entire Asia-Pacific IOAI community for their organization, vision and dedication.\n\nClosing Ceremony\nThe Closing Ceremony brought together contestants, team leaders, organizers, partners and official guests to mark the end of the third edition of IOAI.\nElena Marinova, IOAI co-founder and Chair of the Board, reflected on the development of the Olympiad and the international community that has grown around it.\nThe participants were also addressed by Mr. Zhaslan Khassenovich Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Mr. Ivan Vassilev, Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Republic of Bulgaria, who highlighted the importance of supporting young talent and international cooperation in artificial intelligence.\n\n“We leave Kazakhstan with deeper friendships, new connections across borders, and renewed confidence in the future of this remarkable global movement.” — Elena Marinova, IOAI co-founder and Chair of the Board\n\nThe ceremony also recognized the organizations and individuals whose work contributed to the delivery of IOAI 2026 in Kazakhstan.\nLooking Ahead: Singapore 2027\nThe Closing Ceremony concluded with the official handover of the IOAI flag from Kazakhstan to the representatives of Singapore, which will host the fourth International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence in 2027.\nThe handover continues an international journey that began in Burgas, Bulgaria, in 2024, continued to Beijing, China, in 2025, and Astana, Kazakhstan, in 2026, before moving to Singapore in 2027.\nLooking ahead to 2027, IOAI expects its global community to continue growing, with more countries and territories joining the Olympiad and becoming part of its international network.\nIOAI 2026 at a Glance\n\nParticipating countries and territories: 108\nAccredited countries and territories: 131\nContestants: 466\nTeams: 126\nDelegations receiving financial support: 42\nVolunteers: 200+\nCompetition:\n\nIndividual Contest tasks: 2 rounds, 3 tasks per round\nGAITE — Global AI Talent Empowerment \nTeam Challenge\nIOAI²: AI Model Track\n\nHosts and Partners\nIOAI 2026 was made possible through the work of the IOAI International Board, International Scientific Committee and International Jury, together with its global sponsors and partners and the organisations supporting the 2026 host edition in Kazakhstan.\nIOAI International Organization\n\nIOAI International Board\nIOAI International Scientific Committee\nIOAI International Jury\n\nUnder the Patronage of UNESCO\nSponsor and partners\nDiamond Global Sponsors\n\nIMC (https://www.imc.com/eu/)\nJane Street (https://www.janestreet.com/)\n\nPlatinum Global Sponsor\n\nGoogle (https://about.google/)\n\nPlatinum Local Sponsor\n\nHuawei (https://www.huawei.com/en/)\nGalbot (https://www.galbot.com/)\n\nGold Global Sponsor\n\nMohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (https://mbzuai.ac.ae/)\n\nGold Local Sponsor\n\nHudson River (https://www.hudsonrivertrading.com/)\n\nSilver Local Sponsor\n\nDeepinfra (https://deepinfra.com/)\n\nTechnology Partners\n\nGalbot (https://www.galbot.com/)\nDeepinfra (https://deepinfra.com/)\n\nHosted by \nKazakhstan Competitive Programming Federation (CPFED) – https://cpfed.kz/\nWith the support the \n\nGovernment Support \nThe the Government of Kazakhstan \nThe Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan\nThe Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan\nAkimat of the city of Astana\nAcademic Partners: \n\nAlem.ai \nAstana Hub\nKazakhstan National Sport University\n\nGeneral partner \n\nKaspi.kz\n\nBrilliant partner \n\nFreedom \n\nGolden partners\n\nDocumentolog \nHiggsfeild \nAstana Hub\n\n \n\nRelated Articles\n \n\n \n\n  Uncategorized \n \n\n \n\nThe 3rd International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence Opens in Astana, Kazakhstan \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t10/08/2026\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n  Uncategorized \n \n\n \n\nMeet the Partners Behind IOAI 2026. 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