Latvian School Olympiad in Informatics

Each year, the Latvian National Centre for Education, together with LIKTA and with the support of companies in the Latvian ICT sector, organizes Latvian Olympiad in Informatics. Preparations for Olympiad, along with Latvian students’ participation in international coding Olympics, are coordinated and partly funded by the National Centre for Education (VISC), the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the University of Latvia, municipalities, and contributions from companies in the Latvian ICT sector.

Get to know the initiative

This event, known as the Latvian Olympiad in Informatics, is a multi-stage programming competition designed with the following objectives:

• Broaden and deepen students’ programming knowledge, fostering additional enthusiasm for coding and encouraging extracurricular engagement.

• Identify candidates for the Latvian National Unit to participate in international programming competitions.

• Cultivate students’ interest in developing effective algorithms and programming skills.

The Olympiad is divided into two age groups: junior (8th to 10th grade students) and senior (11th to 12th grade students). The junior category is also open to students below the eighth grade. It consists of three stages:

• Educational institution Olympiad

• Municipality Olympiad: Participants who demonstrate outstanding performance in their educational institution’s Olympiad are invited to compete at the municipality level. Additionally, other students who have achieved commendable results in programming and possess sufficient programming skills may apply for this stage.

• National Olympiad: Following the Municipality Olympiad, the organizing committee invites a maximum of 40 participants per age group based on their results.

At the conclusion of all stages of the Latvian Olympiad in Informatics, representatives are chosen to compete in the Baltic IT Olympiad, followed by the Global IT Olympiad.

Why is this a good practice?

The continued support of Latvian and international Olympiad by companies in the ICT sector is crucial. Such support encourages youth participation, promotes sectoral focus, and stimulates interest in coding and informatics.

Over the years, hundreds of students from schools across all Latvian regions have participated in the IT Olympiad, with many of the participants later pursuing professional careers in ICT.

• The 36th International Informatics Olympiad IOI 2024 was held from September 1 to 8 in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, on the campus of the Academy of Arab Sciences, Technology and Maritime Transport.
• Full results of both this and previous IOIs: https://stats.ioinformatics.org/
• In the coming years, the Olympics will be held in Bolivia (2025), Uzbekistan (2026) and Germany (2027).