They've been training for this moment for years. The excitement and anticipation could be felt in the air as Olympians from all over the world came together to show off the skills and knowledge they'd spent countless hours perfecting.
The competition was fierce, with Olympic delegations from around 200 countries, each with four contestants. The top performers were from large countries. Those from the USA had been preparing fiercely for this challenge for years. The Chinese had been training since they were 5, and the Russians had spent most of their day practicing, often skipping school. Each country picked their best participants through a rigorous, sometimes cut-throat process. But they all had the same goal - to prove they were the best of the best, and to win the gold medal.
On the start date for the olympiads, tensions reach a boiling point. A few minutes before the contest starts the Olympians have their hands on their keyboards, their eyes fixated on their monitors, watching the numbers go down at the countdown timer. The day has come: the International Olympiad in Informatics begins.
An assembly of extraordinarily capable coders from all over the world had come together in Thailand for the International Olympiads in Informatics (IOI).
The IOI brings together exceptionally talented Olympians from various countries, providing them with a platform to share scientific and cultural experiences. The competition is meticulously organized with help from several committees to ensure adherence to the rigorous stipulations of the IOI: the selection process is highly competitive and is carried out through a nationwide contest, where only the most exceptional, talented, and proficient computer scientists are selected to represent their country at an international level. This event represents an opportunity for participants to showcase their abilities, exchange knowledge with fellow contestants, and establish enduring international connections. This process embodies the pursuit of excellence and demands the highest standards of rigor, underscoring the competitive and prestigious nature of IOI.
Among the contestants in this competition was Lucas Roitman, a gifted young man from Argentina who had been preparing for this event for years.
Lucas said, "The IOI taught me that there's always room to grow and learn, no matter how talented you are. Seeing the different approaches and techniques used by contestants from other countries was eye-opening."
After being the national champion and securing gold medals in the nationals, Roitman then proved to be one of the best in the world by representing Argentina twice at the IOI held in Italy and Thailand. Universities such as MIT, Stanford and Yale reached out to Lucas to offer him admissions and scholarships, in part due to his reputation as a national champion and international medallist.
When asked about his experience competing abroad, Lucas remembers
“It was not all study. We also had fun and enjoyed ourselves. The activities planned were great for bonding and discussing common interests. I've made friendships that will last a lifetime.”
In Italy, participants were taken to Venice and rode traditional Venetian gondolas through water canals, as they discussed the latest programming techniques. In Thailand, they visited the beautiful beaches and waves of Pattaya, saw elephant stunts and Muay Thai shows. It was a true melting-pot, with people from every country on earth, each bringing their own different cultures and enriching each other's experience. Lucas ended up making friends with contestants from all over the globe, from Latin Americans and Spanish to Egyptian and Sri Lankan.
Another competition Lucas took part in was the Ibero-American Informatics Olympiad. This is another annual programming competition for young olympians in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries. The contestants compete individually, with up to fifteen olympians sent by each delegation. The competition has only one round, which takes place around June-July of each year. Typically, contestants are given four algorithmic problems that they have to solve within five hours.
"IOI was an incredible opportunity to connect with top-tier computer science contestants from around the world. It not only helped me build a global network but also exposed me to new perspectives and ideas that I have carried with me throughout my career, " Lucas said.
He competed in the same year with other famous olympians such as Vitalik Buterin, founder of the Ethereum crypto network, the largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin.
The majority of Olympians were ultimately recruited by tech giants such as Google and Facebook. This is because the IOI is renowned for crafting exams that resemble the coding tests used by these companies to screen their programmers, and the level of complexity is similarly high. Roitman was no exception to this and received multiple offers from different multinational tech companies.
Lucas made a significant stride in his career when he sold Adia Robotics, his drone startup, to Apple for a substantial amount, estimated at $55 million. This significant deal led to his appointment as a Senior Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Researcher within Apple. Capitalizing on this success, Lucas diversified his portfolio by investing in the Aires Media Investment Fund, subsequently becoming a partner.
He tells us, "Working on confidential deep learning machine learning projects for Apple is both exciting and challenging. It's an honor to be part of such groundbreaking work that has the potential to change the world."
Lucas has inspired many young students to pursue their dreams in the field of engineering and serves as an inspiration to all of us. His achievements have shown that with hard work, dedication, and perseverance, anything is possible.
Lucas currently holds the position of CEO at a startup named Free Will AI ( freewillai.org ), which is integrating AI with Blockchain technology.
This article was written in cooperation with APG