TEHRAN – The five-member team of Iranian students has demonstrated a remarkable achievement, garnering three gold medals and two silver medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO).
Held from July 4 to 12 in Bucaramanga, Colombia, the IPhO 2026 brought together over 400 students from more than 90 countries, Javanonline.ir reported.
Hirbod Foudazi, Kian Zarrabian, and Mohammad Mirmohammadi secured gold medals, while Amir-Sam Goharpey and Nima Koushki won silver medals.
The primary goal of IPhO is to examine, to the highest level, the knowledge, analytical skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in theoretical and experimental physics.
Two five-hour tests, drawn up by the host country and amended by the leaders of the teams involved, are open to candidates competing individually. The first is experimental, using equipment supplied to the candidates. The second is theoretical, focusing on phenomena and their modeling.
The team’s stellar performance went beyond winning medals, as Zarrabian excelled and finished in first place in the experimental physics test; a candidate from South Korea ranked first in the theoretical test.
At the 66th edition of the competition in Australia in 2025, the Iranian team placed 12th in the world with two gold, three silver and one bronze medal, improving from 19th place the previous year.
Iran’s Physics Olympiad team achieved an astounding triumph at the International Scientific Physics Olympiad 2026, winning two gold medals, a silver, and a bronze.
Hirbod Foudazi was ranked first among all participants, receiving the title of absolute winner, achieving the best result in the Theoretical Exam, and grabbing the gold medal and the national diamond, IRNA reported.
Amir-Sam Goharpey won the other gold medal; Kian Zarrabian and Mohammad Mirmohammadi received a silver medal and a bronze medal, respectively.
The ISPhO-2026 Olympiad was held exclusively online from June 21 to June 30, 2026.
The 55th edition of the IPhO was held in Paris. Iranian students managed to win a gold medal and four silver medals.
The country’s Olympiad success has extended beyond mathematics and physics.
At the 36th International Biology Olympiad (IBO 2025) in the Philippines, Iranian students won three gold medals and one silver, securing second place overall among 81 participating countries.
The result improved on Iran’s third-place finish at IBO 2024 in Kazakhstan.
The steady stream of international accomplishments has coincided with growing enthusiasm for scientific Olympiads at home.
According to Reza Hosseini, head of Iran’s Young Scholars Club, participation in the country’s national Olympiad competitions increased by 40 percent year on year, rising from 87,000 students in the Iranian year 1403 (March 2024–March 2025) to 121,000 in 1404 (March 2025-March 2026).
Hosseini described the figure as the highest level of participation in a decade, saying the surge reflects the growing interest of Iranian students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Recent achievements
The Iranian team showed brilliance, claiming the championship at the fourth International Mathematics Summer Camp (IMSC) held in Beijing, China, from June 17 to July 12, demonstrating exceptional teamwork and dedication to mathematics.
Aryan Zandi, Arsha Azizoddin, Seyyed Amir-Hossein Tayeb, Alireza Sharifi, Radin Nik-Eqbali, and Ali Joonbakhsh Najafabadi won 4 gold medals and two silver medals, outperforming students from Poland and Brazil, IRNA reported.
This year’s event brought together 58 teams from 46 countries and regions, including 41 international teams and 17 teams from China, with over 500 Chinese and international students, teachers, and coaches in total.
Four Iranian female students attended the Open International Geography Olympiad (OpenGeo) 2026, winning four medals, including a silver medal and three bronze medals for the first time.
Artina Heidari won the silver medal; Setayesh Haqnazari, Sana Karbalaei Vali, and Helia Khodabandelou received the bronze medals, IRIB reported.
The achievement showcased the Iranian students’ comprehensive expertise in geography and serves as a significant step in preparing students for successful participation in the International Geography Olympiad (IGO).
The OpenGeo aims to promote interest in geography among secondary school students worldwide; develop geographical thinking, analytical, and practical skills among school students and future geographers; and support international connections between young geographers.
Organized by the Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow State University High School, and Primakov School, the competition was held online on June 20 and 21, with competitors from 27 countries attending the contest.
The participants were students aged between 14 and 19 years old enrolled in secondary school or graduating in 2026.
The competition consisted of a Written Response Test (WRT) taking 2.5 hours, a Practical and Mapping Exercise (PME) taking 2.5 hours, and a Multimedia Test (MMT) taking one hour.
MT/MG