Individual contestants from the nation will still be able to take part in the event under a neutral flag, event organizers say

Israel has been banned from the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), the competition’s governing body announced this week. The event is one of the international science Olympiads supported by UNESCO, the UN’s educational, scientific, and cultural agency.

The IOI is an annual competitive programming contest for secondary school students, held regularly since 1989. Each participating country sends a team of up to four students who take part in two days of programming and algorithmic problem-solving contests.

On Tuesday, the IOI announced that Israel would be banned from competing as a nation over “its role” in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“The action means that beginning in 2025, Israel will not be recognized as a participating delegation at IOI, but four contestants from Israel may still participate under the IOI flag,” it said on its website.

According to the IOI, the move was requested by members of its community that demanded the organization respond to the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis. “Over two thirds of the delegations voted in favor of this action,” its statement read.

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Israel’s war in Gaza, which was launched in response to a deadly Hamas raid last October, has claimed over 41,000 lives, including nearly 16,500 children, according to the Palestinian health authorities. West Jerusalem maintains that its military effort is aimed at “eradicating” the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The group’s raids on October 7, 2023 are blamed for the deaths of around 1,200 Israelis. West Jerusalem responded with heavy bombardments of the enclave, as well as a ground operation that is still ongoing nearly a year after the start of the conflict.

The IOI move drew an angry response from the Israeli Education Ministry, according to the Jerusalem Post. “The Israeli youth computer science team will proudly carry the Israeli flag on its way to more victories and international achievements,” it said, according to the report.

It is unclear if Israeli contestants will continue to take part in the IOI under the proposed neutral flag of the Olympiad.

This year, the Israeli team participated remotely since the event was held in Egypt, and did not attend for security reasons, according to Ynet. The report also called the nation’s results “the best achievement ever for an Israeli team.” The team took second place overall behind the US. Its best contestant ranked fourth behind individuals from China, Poland, and the US.