Cyprus competes at the International Olympiad in AI for the first time

Cyprus is taking part in the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) for the first time. The 3rd edition of the olympiad runs from 2 to 8 August 2026 in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Cypriot debut is the result of a collaboration between Neapolis University Pafos, the JetBrains Foundation and the Cyprus Computer Society. Local press reports the country is sending two teams of secondary-school students.

IOAI is a competition for school-age students built around practical artificial intelligence work rather than pen-and-paper theory, covering machine learning, data science and generative AI. Team Cyprus was picked through a national selection and training programme, with JetBrains acting as the official IOAI coordinator in the country.

That programme opened in November 2025 and ran across the 2025-2026 academic year. Students applied through a short form, joined open online classes, and the strongest performers were invited to an intensive camp in February. Training was delivered by researchers and educators working in data science, machine learning, generative AI and backend AI engineering. Eligibility was limited to students resident in the Republic of Cyprus who were still enrolled in school and under 20 years old at the start of the olympiad.

There is a direct incentive beyond the medals: students who win an IOAI prize can earn a full scholarship to study for a Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence BSc at Neapolis University Pafos. The initiative is also backed by Leptos Group and the Technology Leaders of the Future programme.

Announcement: Cyprus Computer Society. Programme details: JetBrains Academy.

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