Saudi Arabia, represented by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) and the Ministry of Education, has won its first silver medal at the 2024 Asia-Pacific Informatics Olympiad (APIO), which was held remotely by the People's Republic of China. The competition took place from May 18 to 19, with the participation of 286 students from 36 countries.

Adib Salem Al-Shahri, a third-year secondary student for the General Directorate of Education Eastern Province, received the silver medal, thus achieving the first silver medal for the Saudi Informatics Team in this competition, following three bronze medals in the last years. The APIO is a very competitive event used by several nations to choose competitors for the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI).

Before the tournament, Adib undertook an extensive training program of around 2,168 hours at Mawhiba, which was overseen by a prominent team of Saudi and foreign professionals.

This is the Saudi Informatics Team's fourth appearance in the APIO, increasing the country's total number of prizes in the tournament to five, after the silver medal earned in the current edition.

Dr. Amal Al-Hazaa, Secretary General of Mawhiba, congratulated the Saudi Informatics Team on their first silver medal and emphasized the government's proactive attitude to anticipate global changes and provide opportunities and skills ahead of time. She noted that Saudi Arabia has become a hub for global talent from all over the world.

She went on to say that Mawhiba focuses on developing the skills of Saudi talents in informatics and programming, providing them with numerous opportunities to become future leaders in these industries, thereby solidifying the Kingdom's position as a source of inspiration to the rest of the world, particularly because they creators and innovators. She also stated that the participating Saudi team was poised to match the Kingdom's prestigious position.

It is worth noting that the competition was held remotely, with the inaugural edition debuting in 2007 and Saudi Arabia's first participation coming in 2021. During the competition, students are given three algorithmic programming assignments to complete using C++ in five hours.