Hong Kong's young coding talents have achieved their strongest-ever showing at the International Olympiad in Informatics, securing two gold medals, one silver medal and an honorable mention at the 38th edition of the competition.

Held in Uzbekistan, this year's competition drew participants from 92 countries and regions. The Hong Kong team comprising four students finished sixth overall, marking the city's strongest ever performance in the event.

Adam Xu from Wah Yan College, Kowloon and Ivan Mak from La Salle College each earned a gold medal. Lo Ting-wai from Tsuen Wan Government Secondary School secured a silver medal while Berton Choy, also from La Salle College, received an honorable mention.

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Secretary for Education of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government Christine Choi Yuk-lin on Wednesday congratulated the team on their achievement.

"It is very encouraging to see the remarkable achievements of the Hong Kong team in the IOI to produce Hong Kong's best performance to date, which is a result of the students' persistent work. The students have demonstrated their problem-solving and programming skills, and innovative thinking," Choi said.

Thanking the school sector for partnering with the Education Bureau (EDB) in promoting digital education and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education, she said schools not only promote innovation and technology through classroom teaching, but also provide diversified learning opportunities outside the classroom, including competitions, to nurture students' creativity and broaden their horizons.

The IOI, under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is the world's most recognized computer science competition for secondary school students under the age of 20.

Since 1997, the EDB and the Hong Kong Association for Computer Education have jointly organized the Hong Kong Olympiad in Informatics to select representatives and train them for international competition. In the tradition of passing the torch, many of the trainers are former contestants in the event.