We would like to thank everyone who joined our recent IOAI Community Meeting. It was great to see so many members of our community taking part as we get closer to IOAI 2026 in Kazakhstan.

Here are some of the main highlights from the meeting.

IOAI keeps growing

• The IOAI community continues to expand around the world.
• We are proud to share that IOAI has now reached 131 accredited countries and territories, with 106 countries and territories already registered for IOAI 2026. This places IOAI among the world’s largest International Science Olympiads, while remaining one of the fastest-growing.

Kazakhstan preparations are in full swing

• The Host Team shared the latest updates on preparations for IOAI 2026, including accommodation, travel, visa procedures and logistics.
• Participants were reminded to complete their travel and visa forms as early as possible, while additional information about optional hotel upgrades and special accommodation requests will be shared soon.

Time to prepare!

• A large part of the meeting focused on helping teams prepare for the competition.
• The International Scientific Committee introduced the latest updates to the contest rules, technical environment and educational resources, and officially launched the IOAI 2026 At-Home Round, giving teams the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the platform before arriving in Kazakhstan.
• Teams were also encouraged to explore the growing IOAI Education Hub, which now includes tasks and resources contributed by countries and Regional Olympiads from around the world.
• Team Challenge returns with GALBOT

We also shared new details about this year’s Team Challenge.

• The challenge will begin with an online preparation phase on 10 July, followed by the simulation round during IOAI 2026 and the live robot finals for the top-performing teams in Astana.
• A dedicated Community Meeting focusing entirely on the Team Challenge will take place on 10 July, followed by another meeting on 22 July to discuss the At-Home Round results, feedback and appeals.

Staying connected

• The meeting also included updates on the International Jury, Board elections, IOAI GAITE and the growing IOAI Alumni community.
• As always, we would like to thank everyone who continues to contribute ideas, ask questions and help shape IOAI together.

Here you can find the full presentation and the recording of the meeting.

We look forward to seeing you all very soon in Kazakhstan!