The 38th International Olympiad in Informatics IOI 2026 has opened in Tashkent – for the first time, this prestigious competition is being held in Uzbekistan. Talented schoolchildren, coaches, and IT representatives from various countries gathered at one venue.

The opening ceremony was attended by Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Digital Technologies, E'zozkhon Karimova, Minister of Preschool and School Education, Sun Teck Tan, President of IOI, and representatives of international organizations. Delegations from participating countries were introduced to the audience, after which the participants received words of encouragement from the organizers.

Sherzod Shermatov linked the Olympiad's hosting to the development of information technologies and artificial intelligence in the country. He also recalled the legacy of Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, who made a significant contribution to the development of mathematics and science.

According to Sun Teck Tan, the main goal of IOI is to find promising young programmers, help them develop their skills, and create an international environment for knowledge exchange. Within the framework of the Olympiad, schoolchildren will compete in programming and algorithmics.

The opening was accompanied by musical and stage performances that combined national motifs of Uzbekistan with modern technologies. Participants were also shown visual animation dedicated to programming.