A Cuban student secured the bronze medal at the 36th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI 2024), which will be hosted in Alexandria, Egypt until next Sunday.
Marco Antonio Escandón García, an 11th-grade student at the Ernesto Guevara Vocational Pre-University Institute of Exact Sciences (IPVCE) in Villa Clara, earned the third-place spot in this prestigious competition, according to the newspaper Vanguardia.
This marks Marco Antonio's second participation in such an event, which brings together the world's top high school and pre-university students in Programming. Last year, he participated in the event held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, although he did not win any medals.
The IOI 2024 is organized and hosted by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) in Alexandria. The competition is supported by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Library of Alexandria.
The competition involves several evaluations where participants must solve a set number of problems within a stipulated time, testing their skills and preparation in coding and data processing.
The Cuban delegation also includes Maité Morales Carreras (10th grade, Villa Clara), Camilo Triana Barata (12th grade, Villa Clara), and Francis José Rodríguez Ronda (12th grade, Las Tunas).
"The experience has been as we expected. We have two students repeating and two who are participating for the first time. The 10th-grade student has excellent results, both in 9th and 10th grades (bronze and silver) at the Ibero-American Informatics Olympiad," said the coach of the Cuban delegation and IPVCE professor from Guantánamo, Leo Cardona Luque, to Juventud Técnica.
In June of this year, eight Cuban students won medals at the 15th Ibero-American Informatics Olympiad, which was held online in Peru. The delegation, which included 15 pre-university students, achieved a total of six silver medals, two bronze medals, and two honorable mentions.
These results placed Cuba in fourth place in the competition, which featured 166 young participants from 16 countries. The top three spots were taken by Brazil, Mexico, and Spain.
IOI 2024: Key Questions and Insights
For those interested in the International Olympiad in Informatics and Cuba's participation, here are some frequently asked questions and their answers.
What is the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI)?
The IOI is one of the most prestigious computer science competitions for high school and pre-university students worldwide, focusing on programming and problem-solving skills.
How did Cuba perform at the IOI 2024?
Cuban student Marco Antonio Escandón García won a bronze medal, marking the country's notable participation in the event.
Who else was part of the Cuban delegation at the IOI 2024?
The delegation included Maité Morales Carreras, Camilo Triana Barata, and Francis José Rodríguez Ronda, all high-achieving students from different regions of Cuba.