The South African Computer Olympiad, in collaboration with the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA,) has announced the winners of the 2022 national Programming Olympiad.
The challenge is targeted at high school learners who can use a computer programming language.
According to a statement, a number of repeat stars shone at the finals of this year’s Programming Olympiad, having excelled in previous Computing Olympiads and represented SA at this year’s International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in Indonesia, where 88 countries participated.
The South African Computer Olympiad, an initiative of the IITPSA, presented the Programming Olympiad with the support of the Internet Service Providers’ Association, SA’s recognised internet industry representative body.
The South African Computer Olympiad, which took place last month in Cape Town, aims to identify, encourage and reward computer aptitude, and promote computer studies. The competition reaches thousands of local youths each year, through the Talent Search, Programming Olympiad and Applications Olympiad.
The Programming Olympiad saw learners participate in three competitive rounds, with top performers from around the country taking part.
In the first round, the participants aimed to solve a number of problems using the programming language of their choice. For the second and third/final round, the languages were more restricted.
Benjamin Kleyn, a Grade 12 learner from Parel Vallei High School in the Western Cape, was this year’s gold medal winner in the Programming Olympiad finals. In 2021, Kleyn received an honourable mention in the national Programming Olympiad finals, and was selected as a member of team SA at the IOI 2022.
Minkyum Kim, a Grade 11 learner from Reddam House Durbanville in the Western Cape, won a silver medal in this year’s Programming Olympiad finals. In 2021, Kim won the gold medal and Standard Bank Trophy in the Programming Olympiad finals, and was also selected to represent South Africa at the 2022 IOI, where he was awarded a bronze medal.
Silver was awarded to Emmanuel Rassou, a Grade 12 learner from SA College School in the Western Cape. Rassou was the 2021 Western Cape provincial Programming Olympiad winner. He was awarded a bronze medal in the 2021 Programming Olympiad finals, and was selected as a member of the South African team for IOI 2022.
This year’s Programming Olympiad bronze medallists were Tengjun Liu, a Grade 12 learner at the American International School of Cape Town; Fei Xiang Peng (also known as Darren Peng), a Grade 12 learner at St John's College in Gauteng; and Youkyum Kim, a Grade Nine learner at Reddam House Durbanville in the Western Cape.
IITPSA president Admire Gwanzura congratulated this year’s winners, noting: “It is encouraging to see how many young people find the experience and exposure they gain from the Olympiads worth coming back for.
“Some of our young achievers appear to be carving out career paths for themselves before they have even finished school. We hope to see more South African learners participating in the South African Olympiads in the future, so that they too can start getting to grips with IT skills and possibly begin establishing themselves in the market as emerging IT professionals worth investing in.”
Programming Olympiad honourable mentions were awarded to Kenna Geleta, a Grade 12 learner from Ferdinand Postma High School in North West; Muhammed Shah Khan, a Grade 11 learner at the UJ Metropolitan Academy in Gauteng; and Alex Sinclair Smith, a Grade 12 learner from Westerford High in the Western Cape.
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