Saudi Math Team wins six medals at International Mathematical Olympiad

02:41 PM on July 21, 2026

The International Mathematical Olympiad is the premier global competition for secondary school students in mathematics.

July 21, 2026 | 02:41 PM

Saudi Gazette

Last Updated: July 21, 2026 | 02:41 PM

3 minute read

AA

Resize

increase-icon

The Saudi Math Team achieved its best-ever result at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), securing six medals and increasing the Kingdom's overall tally to 88 international awards.

In the 67th IMO 2026, hosted in Shanghai, China, the team earned three silver and three bronze medals, competing against 666 students from 117 countries.

Yousef Ayman Bakhit of the Royal Commission Education in Yanbu, Abdulsalam Abdullah Al-Sulami of the Madinah General Directorate of Education, and Abdulilah Mohammed Al-Saqqaf of the Jeddah General Directorate of Education each earned a silver medal.

Saudi Math Team wins six medals at International Mathematical Olympiad

Bronze medals were awarded to Elias Shaker Al-Faraj, Abdullah Tariq Al-Amer of the Eastern Province General Directorate of Education, and Faris Mohammed Al-Kunhail of the Riyadh General Directorate of Education.

The achievement follows a year-long training and qualification program supervised by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) in partnership with the Ministry of Education under the Mawhiba International Olympiads Program.

The program combines theoretical and practical instruction with domestic and international training camps to strengthen students' mathematical skills and prepare them to compete at the highest international level.

First held in Romania in 1959, the International Mathematical Olympiad is the world's oldest and most prestigious mathematics competition for secondary school students.

This performance marks a milestone for Saudi Arabia, whose cumulative medal count now stands at 88 international awards. The success is attributed to the year-long training program by Mawhiba and the Ministry of Education, underscoring the Kingdom's investment in gifted education. Saudi Arabia's upward trajectory in such competitions highlights its growing emphasis on STEM fields.