Israel's Education Ministry slammed the International Olympiad in Informatics's (IOI) decision on Tuesday to ban Israel from participating as a delegation on Wednesday.
"The Israeli youth computer science team will proudly carry the Israeli flag on its way to more victories and international achievements," the ministry said.
On Tuesday, the IOI issued a statement that read, "Members of the community requested that the IOI respond to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza caused by the ongoing conflict."
Sanctioning Israel
The statement further noted that the IOI "General Assembly debated many options at length," with the outcome being "a vote" by "two-thirds of the delegations" "to sanction Israel for its role in the crisis."
The organization said that while Israel will not be able to send a delegation, it can send four contestants who will participate in the event under the IOI flag.