MAKKAH: Two Saudi secondary school students have claimed first place in a World Robot Olympiad final in Panama. 

Mujtaba Hussein Salem and Majed Abdullah Al-Majed, both from Al-Ahsa, triumphed against student competitors from around the world in the Virtual Robot Challenges category.

Elementary students Fatima Ali Al-Rashid and Fatima Akil Salem finished fifth in the Future Innovators category. 

Scores of students in different age groups competed in a variety of categories at the international olympiad, held from Nov. 7-9.

Hamad bin Muhammed Al-Issa, general director of Al-Ahsa Education, described the Saudi students’ performance as a “significant accomplishment.”

Many teams of Al-Ahsa students have performed well while representing the Kingdom in global competitions, he added.

“Not only are our students drawn to the world of artificial intelligence, but they also lead in this field worldwide. This is certainly a win for the Kingdom and its people,” he said.

“To every loyal teacher who has provided support, and to every school principal who has worked hard to unleash the students’ potential in all fields, I hope your efforts will be blessed and I wish you all the best, as such achievements do not happen out of nowhere or by chance, but are the results of dedicated work and innovative students who don’t know the meaning of impossible and can face any challenge.”

Student instructor Khaled Al-Massoud told Arab News that the students’ performance is an “accomplishment for the country.” 

The two winners told Arab News that support provided by the Kingdom played a key role in their victory.

Intensive training under the supervision of Al-Massoud “helped us reach the highest levels in the Olympiad,” they added.