KSA wins five medals at Balkans Math Olympiad

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia won two gold and three bronze medals at the Balkans Olympiad in Mathematics held in Albania recently.
Saudi Arabia secured eighth place among 19 countries, ahead of France, England, Italy, Macedonia and Kazakhstan, said Adel Al-Qaeed, deputy secretary-general of King Abdul Aziz and his Companions Foundation for Talent and Creativity (Mawhiba).
The two gold medals went to Omar Tawfiq Al-Rabiah from Riyadh and Shaden Al-Shemri from Hail. Zubair Habibullah, Majid Almarhoumi and Hamza Shafie picked up three bronze medals.
Al-Qaeed said these medals show that there is a high standard of teaching overseen by the Education Ministry at the Kingdom’s schools. There was stiff competition at the Olympiad, especially from countries in Europe, he said.
The Olympiad is an annual competition organized by the Balkans and Cyprus zone countries since 1984, with its first contest held in Greece. It is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world.
Saudi Arabia took part in 2010 winning two silver and 14 bronze medals.