Hong Kong students triumph at 33rd International Olympiad in Informatics (with photo)

     A team of four students representing Hong Kong achieved excellent results in the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) 2021, winning one gold medal and three silver medals. A total of 88 countries or regions from all over the world participated in this year's IOI, the 33rd event, which is the most recognised worldwide computer science competition aimed at secondary students under 20 years of age. 

     The four students awarded at the IOI 2021 (stats.ioinformatics.org/results/2021) are as follows:

Gold Medal:      Harris Leung (Diocesan Boys' School)
Silver Medal:    Hsieh Chong-ho (Tsuen Wan Government Secondary School)
                       Xie Lingrui (La Salle College)
                       Yeung Man-tsung (Pui Ching Middle School)

     The Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, today (June 30) congratulated the team on their excellent performance. "It is very encouraging to see the remarkable achievements of the Hong Kong team in the IOI, the best record of Hong Kong since 1992. As one of the International Science Olympiads under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the IOI aims at promoting coding education and nurturing students' computational thinking and problem-solving skills," he said. 

     "I also wish to extend my gratitude to the school sector for partnering with the Education Bureau (EDB) in the past few years to make great efforts to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education in Hong Kong, not only through optimising the curriculum and classroom teaching, but also in providing various learning opportunities outside the classroom. For example, a team of aerospace scientists entered campuses last week to share with students the valuable experience of our nation's aerospace engineering, thereby inspiring students' enthusiasm for pursuing science and technology, exploring the unknown and taking the challenge to innovate. The EDB continues to support schools in promoting STEM education in schools. Through related learning activities, such as project work and competitions, we aim to develop a solid foundation in STEM-related areas among students and nurture their creativity, enable them to apply knowledge and skills to solve problems, enrich their learning experience and broaden their horizons."

     Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the IOI 2021 was held in an online mode. The contestants participated within each participating country or region under online monitoring. They joined virtual activities from June 19 to 25, during which they were required to design and write a number of computer programs during the competition week. Contestants had to demonstrate good problem-solving skills and programming techniques in order to achieve desirable results.

     Since 1997, the EDB and the Hong Kong Association for Computer Education have jointly organised the Hong Kong Olympiad in Informatics (HKOI), which aims to enhance the programming and problem-solving skills of students through the competition. Outstanding winners from HKOI are selected as Hong Kong representatives every year to enter the IOI. They are required to attend a series of training programmes to better prepare for the international competition. As a tradition of passing the torch, many of the trainers are previous contestants of the IOI.