Pride for Israel: Outstanding achievement at the World Computer Science Championship despite boycott
Israeli high school students won 3 gold medals and one bronze at the IOI international Olympiad, placing in the global top tier among 96 countries. Despite being barred from competing under their national flag, one medalist, Yotam Budnik, displayed the Israeli flag at the closing ceremony, resulting in the revocation of his award.
Israeli high school students competing in the IOI World Computer Science Championship achieved a remarkable result, securing 3 gold medals and one bronze. With this performance, the Israeli team reached the global top tier, as only competitors from China finished ahead of them in the medal standings among 96 participating countries.
The IOI World Championship is held annually with the support of major high-tech companies and is considered the most prestigious event in the global circuit. This year, the competition took place in Uzbekistan, featuring approximately 380 students. The Israeli winners are:
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Daniel Peri-Nes, entering 12th grade at the "Ben-Zvi" high school in Kiryat Ono — gold medal.
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Yotam Budnik, a graduate of the "De Shalit" high school in Rehovot — gold medal.
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Yoav Shamai, a graduate of the "Ohel-Shem" high school in Ramat Gan — gold medal.
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Amir Crispin, a graduate of the "Gymnasia Realit" in Rishon LeZion — bronze medal.
The Olympiad consisted of two competition days, each lasting 5 hours, during which students were tasked with solving 3 algorithmic problems requiring out-of-the-box thinking and coding skills. The four champions were guided by head coach Ron Rivchin and instructors Raz Dvora and Omri Jerbi. The students trained at the Youth University Center at Bar-Ilan University in collaboration with "Future Scientists".
Participation in the competition was marked by significant controversy. Following a decision made after the 2024 championship, Israel was suspended and did not participate in 2025. This year, the team secured external funding to attend but was required to compete under the Olympiad flag rather than the national flag, similar to teams from Russia and Belarus. In a vote held on Saturday, the organizing committee decided by 44 to 37 votes to continue Israel's exclusion from next year's event.
During the medal ceremony, Yotam Budnik chose to protest the boycott by pulling an Israeli flag from his pocket while on stage. In response, organizers immediately revoked his gold medal and removed him from the official rankings. Budnik was aware of the potential sanctions but chose to proceed as a stand against the unfairness of the boycott.
