JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia ranked 16th of 55 countries in the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO), which ended on Thursday, rising 10 places from last year and winning four medals.
Each country involved in the competition is represented by a team of four female mathematicians of school age, This year’s EGMO was hosted by Georgia, but held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Saudi Arabia was represented by four students who have all been members of programs run by the King Abdul Aziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) and have received thousands of training hours and attended several training camps.
In the past, Saudi teams have won 20 medals at the EGMO. This year, Rafaa Qanash from Jeddah won a silver medal, while Lara Munqal from Jeddah, Joud Bahwini from Yanbu, and Fatima Al-Ghanam from Al-Ahsa all won bronze medals.
All four students have been members of Mawhiba’s Program for International Olympiads and have received thousands of training hours and attended several training camps.
Mawhiba works in partnership with the Ministry of Education to qualify Saudis to compete in scientific Olympiads. Over 1,300 hours of training are provided annually to prepare students to participate.
The EGMO — launched by the UK in 2012, when 19 countries participated — seeks to encourage female students to compete in mathematics tournaments and to increase female representation in international Olympiads. Currently, only 10 percent of participants in math-based Olympiads are female.
Saudi students win four awards in European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad
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Saudi students win four awards in European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad
Alwaleed Philanthropies allocates $15 million for global polio eradication efforts
- The new contribution will support frontline vaccination campaigns, disease surveillance and rapid outbreak response over three years
DAVOS: Alwaleed Philanthropies, chaired by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al-Saud, renewed its commitment to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative on Thursday with a $15 million contribution during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.
The announcement was made by Princess Lamia Bint Majed Al-Saud, secretary general of Alwaleed Philanthropies, and Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation.
The new contribution will support frontline vaccination campaigns, disease surveillance and rapid outbreak response over three years, helping the program reach children in vulnerable and conflict-ravaged areas through the Gates Philanthropy partners.
The donation comes at a pivotal moment for the global effort to end polio, as the program intensifies operations in the last remaining endemic countries and responds to outbreaks worldwide.
With cases of wild poliovirus now confined to just two countries — Afghanistan and Pakistan — sustained political leadership and financing remain essential to protect hard-won gains and ensure that no child is left behind.
The princess said the contribution “builds on Alwaleed Philanthropies’ long-standing support for global health and its partnership with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, reinforcing the critical role of philanthropy in addressing some of the world’s most complex public health challenges.”
Gates said that polio eradication “is within sight, but the last mile is the hardest.” He added: “Alwaleed Philanthropies’ latest commitment is exactly the kind of leadership the world needs to build a future where no family has to live in fear of polio paralyzing their child.”
Mike McGovern, chair of the Polio Oversight Board, said sustained support enables organizations to reach children in vulnerable and remote communities and to preserve the progress made over the past four decades.
Launched in 1988, the GPEI, led by national governments and supported by its core partners, has reduced polio cases by more than 99 percent and protected over 20 million people from paralysis.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF play a leading role, working alongside governments and communities to sustain access, build trust and ensure that polio eradication efforts reach the most vulnerable children.
