Team Taiwan bagged two golds and two bronzes for sixth overall in the medal standings at the 31st International Olympiad in Informatics in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to the Ministry of Education Aug. 11.
Billed as the world’s largest computer programming and problem-solving competition for high-school students, the event took place Aug. 4-11 and involved 327 students from 87 countries and territories. Taiwan’s four-member representation was led by Lee Chung-mou, vice president of National Taiwan Normal University and president of the IOI.
Golds were awarded to competitors who finished in the top 8 percent. The two team members to win the honor were Su Po-hsuan and Wang Shih-yu from National Experimental High School at Hsinchu Science Park in northern Taiwan.
They were followed by Tsai Min-yen from New Taipei Municipal Banqiao Senior High School and Tang Bo-yen from Taipei Municipal Chenggong High School, who both earned bronzes by finishing in the top 50 percent.
Team Taiwan has won 21 golds, 50 silvers and 26 bronzes since debuting at the annual event in 1994, five years after it was launched in Bulgaria. To encourage volunteers to participate in international Olympiads, the MOE offers NT$200,000 (US$6,375), NT$100,000 and NT$50,000 incentives for gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Winners also automatically qualify for admission to any informatics department at a Taiwan university, the ministry added. (CPY-E)
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