Team South Africa participated in the 36th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) winning two bronze medals and an honourable mention. IOI 2024 is the most prestigious computer science competition for secondary school and high school students around the world. It was staged in Alexandria, Egypt from 1-8 September and hosted by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT).
The South African team members were selected from the top performers in the 2023 Programming Olympiad – part of the South African Computer Olympiads and a flagship initiative of the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA).
This year’s team included:
- Minkyum Kim and Youkyum Kim of Reddam House Durbanville, who represented South Africa at IOI 2023 in Hungary;
- Minkyum Kim, a repeat top performer in the Computer Olympiads, who also represented South Africa at IOI 2022 in Indonesia;
- Hugo Bruwer of Paarl Boys’ High; and
- Yian Xu of Redhill High.
Pearl Pasi, President of the IITPSA, congratulated the winners, noting that the Computer Olympiads
offer South African learners opportunities to learn new skills and discover career opportunities in the IT sector.
“Those who reach the IOI have a unique and enriching opportunity to travel and participate in a global event, where they can challenge themselves and engage with their peers from around the world,” she said. “We thank our sponsors for helping make these experiences possible for young South Africans.”
