6 March 2020 – The National University of Singapore (NUS) will be hosting the 32nd International Olympiad for Informatics (IOI2020), to be held from 19 to 26 July 2020. Supported by Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MOE), this is the first time the prestigious programming competition is taking place in Singapore since its inception in 1989.
IOI is one of the main International Science Olympiads held annually. It seeks to discover, challenge and recognise exceptional high school students for their talent in the field of informatics, as well as to encourage youth interest in the field. Each year, participants from over 90 countries will travel globally to participate in the competition.
Singapore began participating in the annual IOI in 1992, and faculty members of NUS School of Computing (NUS Computing) have been actively involved in the training of secondary school and junior college students for the Singapore IOI team. To date, 67 participants have represented Singapore in 28 IOI competitions and amassed a total of 84 medals.
IOI2020 will be organised by faculty members of NUS Computing and chaired by Professor Bernard Tan, Senior Vice Provost (Undergraduate Education) at NUS.
Prof Tan, who is also a Shaw Professor in Information Systems and Analytics, said, “NUS is honoured to host this year’s IOI, and we are looking forward to welcoming some of the world’s brightest young students to Singapore. The IOI2020 is an excellent opportunity for NUS to share our vibrant campus life, leading global education and world-class computing expertise with these international students, and more importantly, showcase Singapore as a focal point in the region for technology, research and innovation.”
IOI2020 will see both local and international students from around the world gathering in Singapore for the competition. The participants will compete individually to solve a set of informatics problems which will test their competencies in problem analysis, design of algorithms and data structures, programming and testing.
As part of the IOI2020, the participants will also take part in cultural and recreational events to foster friendly international relationships, and encourage scientific and cultural exchange.
Sin Kim Ho, Divisional Director, Curriculum and Planning Division 1, MOE, said, “We live in an increasingly technologically driven world with rapid technological advancements. The IOI provides a good opportunity for participants to enhance their computing skills and better appreciate how these skills can be applied to solve algorithmic tasks. We are happy that the IOI is hosted in Singapore, and hope our students will be inspired as they learn and exchange computing practices with other participants. While the COVID-19 situation has thrown some uncertainty into the competition preparations, we are confident that the organising team will put in place necessary measures and adjustments for the competition to be carried out smoothly. I look forward to a successful IOI 2020.”
