Invitation for Indian Students to Join Global IT-Olympics

Moscow, April 8 (NationPress) The rapid advancement and transformation across various economic sectors have made digital skills the fundamental element of global competitiveness and innovation.

The application of digital technology in addressing both business and everyday challenges enables individuals to develop their own personal AI assistants.

The realm of cybersecurity has emerged as a key focus for technological research and development impacting society, government, academia, and industry.

Students aged 14 to 18 from any nation can participate in the international IT-Olympics, regardless of their programming proficiency. The deadline for registration is April 18.

This event is organized with the backing of the Russian government, with the Nizhny Novgorod region's government serving as the organizer and Sber acting as the general partner.

German Gref, President and Chairman of the Management Board of Sberbank, remarked, "Information technology allows us to view the world from a completely new perspective and connect intricate processes that may initially seem unrelated."

He further stated, "However, this requires an understanding of the entire technological stack. Humanity stands on the brink of monumental discoveries. You are living in a fascinating era, as you have the chance to explore beyond the horizon of knowledge that humanity has yet to define as the conclusion of this journey," Gref added.

"You will be able to fulfill this aspiration. I wish you luck on this exciting journey! I am confident in your success because only those with self-assurance can partake in our International Olympiad, and I commend you for that," he concluded.

Initially, each participant can undertake an IT competency assessment and receive a certificate based on their performance. By April 18, contestants must independently tackle 15 theoretical and practical challenges centered on critical aspects of cybersecurity.

Areas of focus include information security, mathematical logic, fundamentals of algorithm design and programming, data analysis, document processing, and AI-based simple modeling.

From April 23 to April 25, the second stage of the competition will occur – the team semifinal, which will follow a Capture the Flag format. The "flag" represents a unique code that verifies task completion. Teams will be presented with a variety of problems with varying levels of difficulty, requiring an answer (the flag) to be submitted.

Teams of five individuals who successfully advance from the initial stage will qualify for the semifinals.

Topics for tasks will include AI and machine learning, cryptanalysis, reverse engineering, web vulnerabilities, computer forensics, and algorithmic programming.

The top 100 participants with the highest scores will compete in the in-person finals. Winners will be announced between May 30 and June 3 at the School 21 campus in Nizhny Novgorod.

Outstanding participants will receive accolades at the "Digitalization of Industrial Russia" Conference.