Cyprus took part in the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) for the first time this year, and came away with four bronze medals and two honourable mentions. The eight-student Cypriot delegation competed at IOAI 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan, against entrants from around the world in what organisers described as a demanding international field.
How the delegation came together
The mission was run through a partnership between the University of Neapolis Pafos, JetBrains, the JetBrains Foundation and the Cyprus Computer Society, with JetBrains serving as national coordinator for IOAI in Cyprus. The Steering Committee was chaired by Professor Savvas Chatzichristofis of the University of Neapolis Pafos, alongside Panikos Masouras of the Cyprus Computer Society and Alexander Avdiushenko of JetBrains.
Selection was based on an open process: more than 100 students from public and private schools registered interest, participation was free and required no prior preparation, and places were awarded strictly on performance.
From November 2025 to the competition floor
Preparation began in November 2025 with online courses and exercises in machine learning. In early 2026, the 30 highest-performing students attended the AI Winter Cyprus Camp in Pafos, followed by four months of intensive preparation. A further AI Summer Camp in Pafos in July narrowed the group down to the eight students who formed Cyprus's two competing teams.
The teams and their results
The first team, Amir Daiyrov, Christos Alexandrou, Artyom Konukhov and Mariia Shilo, was led by Svyatoslav Suglobov. Daiyrov and Alexandrou won bronze medals, while Konukhov received an honourable mention.
The second team, Petros Vourmas, Alexandros Ktoris, Sotiris Savva and Artem Iankin, was led by Sergey Shashkov. Vourmas and Ktoris won bronze medals, while Savva received an honourable mention.
Organisers noted that the competition ran over two days, with six hours of individual examination each day, covering programming, data analysis and machine learning, at a difficulty level described as high even for school-age competitors.
Behind the scenes
Organisational coordination was handled by Natalia Kitaeva of JetBrains, with the programme's educational content supported by Avdiushenko, Suglobov, Danila Biktimirov, Nikita Magomedeminov and Rodion Chvorostov. Suglobov and Shashkov accompanied the teams to Astana.
Looking to next year
The organisers said the initiative has established an open selection and training pathway for students in artificial intelligence in Cyprus, with next year's goal being to broaden participation and deepen the involvement of Cyprus's academic community.
