Filipino Team Sweeps Medals in International AI Olympiad Debut in Kazakhstan

Photo caption: Members of the Philippine delegation to the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) held in Astana, Kazakhstan. All four members won individual medals (from left): Jhareign S Solidum of University of Mindanao Ilang High School (Bronze); Theo Lorenzo T Bustamante of Philippine Science High School–CALABARZON Region Campus (Silver), Martin Gomez (Team Leader); Juan Mateo J Desuasido of Brent International School Manila (Bronze), Ellison Matthew S Ang of Philippine Science High School–Main Campus (Bronze)./IOAI Philippine

MANILA— All four members of the Philippines' first-ever delegation to the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) snagged medals at the competition held in Kazakhstan, bringing home one silver and three bronze medals.

The Philippine team recorded a 100% medal rate on the country's IOAI debut, having competed against 466 high school students from 108 countries and territories at the week-long event held on August 2-8, 2026 in the Kazakh capital Astana.

The event is one of the world's largest scientific olympiads for teenagers.

AI tests

It tests youngsters’ skills in machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing and multimodal AI systems.

The Filipino team achieved a 100% medal rate across the delegation, according to the Ateneo de Manila University.

Following are the Philippine medalists at IOAI:

• Theo Lorenzo T. Bustamante (Philippine Science High School–Calabarzon Region Campus) – Silver Medal

• Ellison Matthew S. Ang (Philippine Science High School–Main Campus) – Bronze Medal

• Juan Mateo J. Desuasido (Brent International School Manila) – Bronze Medal

• Jhareign S. Solidum (University of Mindanao Ilang High School) – Bronze Medal

Bustamante of Philippine Science High School–Calabarzon Region Campus won the silver medal, ranking 80th overall and placing him among the top 17% of competitors.

Taking bronze were Ellison Matthew S. Ang of Philippine Science High School–Main Campus, Juan Mateo J. Desuasido of Brent International School Manila, and Jhareign S. Solidum of University of Mindanao Ilang High School.

The Philippines was one of only 11 of the 18 countries making their IOAI debut this year to win at least one silver medal.

Organizers awarded 37 gold, 73 silver and 110 bronze medals in total across the field.

"A 100% medal rate on our global debut proves that Philippine talent can immediately compete at the highest level of international AI," said Martin Gomez, executive director and team leader of IOAI Philippines, according to local reports.

Training and support

The students were selected through a merit-based national screening process and competed free of charge.

They were trained and managed by IOAI PH, which is hosted by the Ateneo Business Insights Laboratory for Development (BUILD) under the John Gokongwei School of Management at Ateneo de Manila University.

Preparation ran over roughly 10 months and included expert-led bootcamps and access to specialized technical infrastructure. The IOAI Board covered registration and travel costs, while Philippine government agencies, including the Department of Education and the Department of Science and Technology's Science Education Institute, also provided support.

Competition

Now in its third year, the IOAI was held under the patronage of UNESCO and hosted by the Kazakhstan Competitive Programming Federation, with backing from Kazakhstan's Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and Ministry of Education.

The competition was formally opened by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Singapore is set to host the fourth edition of the IOAI in 2027.