Baku, August 6, AZERTAC

The opening ceremony of the 31st International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) was held at the Baku Convention Center.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva attended the event.

The event started with the performance of the national anthem of Azerbaijan.

Head of the Department for Humanitarian Policy Issues of the Presidential Administration Farah Aliyeva read out First-Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva’s congratulatory message to the event participants.

In his remarks, Chairman of IOI 2019 and Minister of Education Jeyhun Bayramov emphasized the importance of organizing such a prestigious event in Azerbaijan. He said that one of the main tasks of the country's education system was to reinforce human capital development and increase the role of ICT, virtual education and computer networking skills.

Minister Bayramov highlighted the achievements of Azerbaijani youth in the international Olympiad in informatics, adding that the organization of IOI 2019 in Azerbaijan would contribute to the development of informatics.

He noted that Azerbaijan, which was rapidly developing under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, had successfully hosted various international and regional events, including 15th Summer European Youth Olympic Festival “EYOF”, Eurovision song contest, First European Games, 4th Islamic Solidarity Games, Formula 1 Grand Prix. The minister emphasized that such events play a vital role in development of ties of friendship, peace and intercultural dialogue, especially among young people.

Rector of ADA University, honorary chairman of IOI 2019 Hafiz Pashayev said that one of the main goals of the Olympiad was to bring out the young talented people in the field of computer science and to communicate to the young people the importance of this sphere.

“International Olympiad in Informatics brings together the future leaders of computer science and IT industry. Those who are sitting in the auditorium today will shape the trends and agenda of the technological development in the next 10-15 years and therefore hosting this event is a sign of Azerbaijan’s deep interest, care and support both for the education sector as well as IT industry,” Hafiz Pashayev said.

“ADA University is a rapidly growing higher education institution in the region and our IT and Engineering School was set up with the purpose of cultivating young engineers, programmers and professionals in IT field, much needed for the development of “knowledge based-economy”. Our graduates nowadays work in global technological companies, such as Google, Oracle, Microsoft, and also help the local IT industry to grow. Each year we host, business case and start-up competitions and support best ideas of young people to become new success stories. This year we have also hosted the semi-finals and finals of the National Olympiad in Informatics, in accordance with IOI rules and standards,” he mentioned.

Rector Hafiz Pashayev noted that ADA’s vision was to become a center of excellence and hub for scientific research and innovation in the region. "For that purpose we plan to set up a Science village near to our university," he said, adding that the Center for Big Data Analytics Research of the ADA university had already gained attention of young talents in the country.

“In coming days you will have a chance to visit our “smart” and “green” campus in downtown Baku and learn more about our academic and research programs. I hope you will enjoy this visit and find out more about the scholarship opportunities at ADA University. I strongly believe that you will have a memorable summer in Baku and this competition will bring enjoyment to all of you,” Hafiz Pashayev said.

The rector extended special thanks to the Government of Azerbaijan and all those who supported them "in this wonderful endeavor".

IOI President, Professor of National Taiwan Normal University Greg Lee hailed the excellent organization of this year’s Olympiad in Azerbaijan and highlighted the importance of the event. “On behalf of IOI community we thank Azerbaijan for hosting this year’s IOI and ADA University for assistance in organizing this event in the Land of Fires,” IOI President said.

Grigory Nizovsky, Vice President of Acer for Russia, Eastern Europe and Turkey, official global sponsor of the Olympiad, praised the successful cooperation between Acer and IOI.

The IOI 2019 delegations representing 88 countries and regions were presented to the audience.

The event then featured the screening of videos highlighting the activity of official sponsors IOI, Acer as well as a video about Baku.

The event continued with a concert program.

Official delegations consisting of more than 600 pupils, teachers and experts from 88 countries and regions, including the Azerbaijani team have registered to participate in the International Olympiad in Informatics, which is being held in Azerbaijan for the first time.

Acer is the official global sponsor of the Olympiad. In addition, from local companies, the country’s leading mobile operator Azercell Telecom supports the event as the Digital Talent Sponsor and PASHA Bank as the Talent Sponsor. Public Television ITV (Ictimai Television) is the IOI’s key media partner.