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A delegation of Cuban students won a silver medal and two bronze medals at the IV International Al-Khwarizmi Olympiad in Mathematics and Computer Science (KhIMIO 2026), held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from June 1 to 7.
It was Cuba's first participation in this competition, which brings together young talents in the exact sciences from countries in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and is considered one of the most prestigious for secondary and pre-university students.
The Cuban delegation consisted of 10 students, as reported by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and the Environment of Cuba.
Mauricio Cruz Siles from the Pre-University Vocational Institute of Exact Sciences (IPVCE) in Villa Clara, won the silver medal in the field of Computer Science.
The two bronze medals were awarded to Alejandro Martínez Sánchez from the IPVCE of Camagüey, and to Andy Ernesto Sánchez Pérez, also from the IPVCE of Villa Clara.
Alejandro Martínez competed in the Mathematics discipline, "standing out among the more than 80 competitors who tackled highly complex problems," while Mauricio Cruz and Andy Ernesto Sánchez "demonstrated their expertise in the field of Computer Science, thus adding two medals for the Caribbean nation."
Among the members of the delegation was Adrián Darío Peña Castillo, a tenth-grade student from IPVCE Eusebio Olivera in Sancti Spíritus.
The IPVCE are specialized educational centers within the Cuban system, created to identify and train young talent in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer science, and they serve as the main breeding ground for competitors in international olympiads.
The result adds to a recent trend of achievements in international science competitions. In the 2022 International Olympiad in Informatics, a Cuban student won a silver medal, and in 2024, another student earned a bronze in the same competition.
In the 2024 Ibero-American Computer Olympiad, eight Cuban students earned six silver medals, two bronze medals, and two honorable mentions, placing Cuba in fourth place among 16 participating countries.
That same year, at the Ibero-American Biology Olympiad 2024, the Cuban delegation achieved three gold medals and one silver medal.
The KhIMIO 2026 concluded after a week of intense evaluation sessions, and Cuba's debut in the competition resulted in three medals that reflect the talent of young individuals who, despite the deep crisis facing the island after decades of dictatorship, continue to excel in international scientific arenas.
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