The Cyprus Computer Society (CCS) has hosted the Junior Balkan Olympiad in Informatics (jBOI) 2025 in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Sport, and Youth.
Delegations from nine Balkan countries participated in the event, which took place at Tasos Mitsopoulos Lyceum in Aradippou on Wednesday 29th October 2025.
The jBOI is an annual programming competition that brings together talented secondary school students from Balkan countries. Each participating nation is represented by a team of exceptional young programmers, boys and girls aged 10-15, who compete to solve challenging algorithmic problems according to the rules of the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI).
The Closing Ceremony of jBOI 2025 was addressed by the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy, Dr Nikodimos Damianou, who began his own professional journey as a computer programmer. He emphasised the importance of developing programming skills, which can serve as a valuable asset for young participants no matter which path they choose in life.
Greetings were also delivered by the Deputy Mayor of Larnaka, Iasonas Iasonides, and the Inspector of Informatics for Secondary Education, Michalis Farazis.
CCS President, Andreas Loutsios, expressed his gratitude to everyone who contributed to hosting nine countries in a week filled with inspiration, learning, healthy competition and cultural exchange.
The awards ceremony followed, showcasing the exceptional achievements of young Balkan students, with the Cypriot team delivering outstanding performances. Results were published on the official competition website.
The ceremony included a musical performance by students of the Larnaka Music School “Mikis Theodorakis.” The Opening Ceremony, held on Saturday, October 25, also featured musical and dance performances by students and teachers of Aradippou Lyceum, which hosted the two competition days in its modern computer labs.
The delegations were congratulated by the Minister of Education, Sport, and Youth, whose address was read by Michalis Farazis, while the Mayor of Aradippou, Christodoulos Partou, also extended his greetings.
Throughout the week, beyond the competition itself, participants had the opportunity to tour the historic centre of Larnaka, visit Lefkara village, take part in interactive activities organized by JetBrains, and discover Cyprus’s rich history, natural beauty and culinary traditions.
The successful organisation of the event and the renowned Cypriot hospitality were made possible thanks to the tireless efforts of the Organising and Scientific Committees, who worked for months to perfect every detail.
The Board members and staff of the Cyprus Computer Society handled the logistics, while teachers from the Ministry of Education, Sport, and Youth were responsible for the technical and scientific aspects. These same educators, from all over Cyprus, also prepare the national team.
Specifically, Mariza Paspalli won a Gold Medal, while Alexis Tsangaris and Petros Vourmas each earned Bronze Medals. The remaining team members – Sofoklis Andronikou, Andreas Tsiapouras, Andreas Kesidis, Christoforos Pittalis, and Andreas Charalambidis – also gave remarkable performances.
The team leaders of the Cypriot delegation were secondary school teachers Akis Sykopetritis and Dimitris Leivadiotis.
With these achievements, Cyprus has now earned a total of eight medals and one honourable mention in the five international informatics olympiads it participated in during 2025, continuing its tradition of excellence and strong performances by Cypriot teams in recent years.
The national student competition, through which the team representing Cyprus at international events is selected – the Cyprus Olympiad in Informatics – will be announced soon for the current school year. The Cyprus Olympiad in Informatics 2025–26 is organised by the CCS, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Sport, and Youth, and supported by ECCOMMBX, XM, Oracle and ICDL.
More photos are available here.