Another international success for the Georgian Tech Olympiad Hub: Georgia’s national team won two medals at EJOI 2026.
Georgia’s flag was raised in Lithuania this time, where the national team won two bronze medals at the European Junior Olympiad in Informatics (EJOI 2026).
Georgia participated in EJOI 2026 through the Georgian Tech Olympiad Hub. National team members Richard Barbakadze and Dimitri Shengelia each earned a bronze medal.
Dimitri Shengelia is a tenth-grade student at Tbilisi First Experimental Public School and also studies at the Mziuri Information Technology Centre. Richard Barbakadze is a ninth-grade student at Vladimir Komarov Tbilisi Public School No. 199 of Physics and Mathematics and also attends the Mziuri Information Technology Centre.
This year’s achievement is particularly significant, as the Georgian Tech Olympiad Hub organised a separate registration process, qualification and selection rounds, and the formation of a junior national team for the EJOI age category for the first time. The selected participants, including Dimitri Shengelia and Richard Barbakadze, also completed an intensive 20-day training programme.
The tenth edition of EJOI was held in Kaunas, Lithuania, from July 24 to 30, 2026. More than 100 young programmers from over 25 countries participated in the competition. Georgia was represented by a four-member team led by Giorgi Mandaria, with Bakar Gamezardashvili serving as deputy leader.
Georgia was also represented by:
- Natalia Papashvili — a ninth-grade student at Vladimir Komarov Tbilisi Public School No. 199 of Physics and Mathematics and a student at the Mziuri Information Technology Centre;
- Giorgi Tsibadze — a tenth-grade student at Andria Razmadze Kutaisi Public School No. 41 of Physics and Mathematics and a student at the AiaSoft Programming School in Kutaisi.
The European Junior Olympiad in Informatics has been held annually since 2017, bringing together participants from approximately 25–30 countries. Georgia hosted the competition in both 2020 and 2023.
EJOI is designed for students under the age of 16 and serves as an important preparatory stage for international informatics competitions, including the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). It enables young participants to strengthen their algorithmic thinking, develop skills in working with data structures, learn effective approaches to solving complex problems, and gain valuable international experience.
Over the years, Georgia has achieved considerable success at EJOI. Including this year’s results, the country has won two gold, four silver and 22 bronze medals. Georgian student Nikoloz Birkadze has also earned the title of absolute European champion.
Georgian participants in informatics olympiads have continued their studies at some of the world’s leading universities, including MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, Vanderbilt University, NYU Abu Dhabi, the National University of Singapore and Constructor University.
The Georgian Tech Olympiad Hub operates at BTU with the support of TBC Bank. The platform manages the selection, preparation and support of national technology teams competing in European and international olympiads. It also organises OLYINFO, Georgia’s national informatics olympiad for school students.
The Hub aims to strengthen Georgia’s international competitiveness in technology, support the development of young talent and ensure the country’s successful representation at international olympiads.
The project’s partners are UN Women Georgia, the Georgian Artificial Intelligence Association (GAIA), the Tech Association of Georgia, Lineate, EPAM, BLOX and McDonald’s Georgia.
