Arab News: RIYADH: The Saudi team picked up five international awards at the 26th Asian Physics Olympiad in Busan, South Korea.

The event, which ends on Monday, saw 209 students from 27 countries taking part, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Saudi winners were: Hussein Habib Al-Saleh and Nasser Hisham Al-Shaeaa from the General Department of Education in the Riyadh Region, Reda Salem Al-Khamis from the General Department of Education in Al-Ahsa Governorate, Mohammed Abdulrahman Al-Arfaj from the General Department of Education in the Eastern Region and Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Raml from the General Department of Education in the Eastern Region.

The Kingdom has now won 27 awards — six bronze medals and 21 certificates of appreciation — at the Olympiad since its debut in the competition in 2012.

The nation’s participation is led by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity in partnership with the Ministry of Education.

All of the students underwent extensive preparation for the event, which included theoretical and practical training, local and international qualification camps and selection tests. 

The Asian Physics Olympiad is an annual competition for gifted secondary school students in physics.

Launched in Indonesia in 1999 it serves as a regional platform for identifying outstanding scientific talent and encouraging knowledge exchange among participants, who compete through advanced theoretical and practical examinations that test their scientific reasoning, analytical ability and problem-solving skills.