MINSK, 27 August (BelTA) - Belarusian school students have won seven bronze medals at the 19th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO 2026), the Belarusian State University press service told BelTA.

The International Earth Science Olympiad was held in Turin, Italy, from 20 to 27 August, with 166 school students from 42 countries taking part. In the group stage, bronze medals were won by students Olga Kazantseva from Mogilev Oblast Lyceum No. 1, Dmitry Pushkar from Novopolotsk Secondary School No. 14, Danila Kostylev from Orsha Gymnasium No. 2, and Roman Ivlev from Vitebsk Gymnasium No. 2. In the individual competition, Dmitry Pushkar and Danila Kostylev also received bronze medals.

The intellectual competition included individual and group stages. A distinctive feature of the team round was that young geographers participated as part of international teams. The students prepared scientific projects in poster (ESP) and presentation (ITFI) formats. Olga Kazantseva won bronze medals in both formats. The individual round consisted of theoretical and practical tasks in English, covering geology, paleogeography, hydrology, meteorology, and geomorphology.

“The team leaders were Dmitry Vorobyov, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Geography and Geoinformatics at BSU, and Natalya Pizarchuk, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Physical Geography of the World and Educational Technologies. The Belarusian team was trained on a regular basis at BSU’s Faculty of Geography and Geoinformatics under the guidance of First Vice Rector Dmitry Kurovich and Dean Yelena Kolmakova,” the university said.

The International Earth Science Olympiad has been held annually since 2007 under the auspices of the International Earth Science Education Organization. It is organized for secondary school students from around the world and aims to increase interest in Earth sciences. The Olympiad also helps identify talented and gifted students in this field. Since its inception, the number of participating countries has expanded from 7 to 43.