12-Year-Old Thai Boy Clinches Gold, Silver at Global Coding Olympiad in Rome

Thai youth have once again made their mark on the international stage. BANGKOK — 13 July 2026, A 12-year-old Thai boy, Nipun Skyz Lua, a Year 7 student, has clinched gold and silver medals in computer programming at the International STEM Olympiad – Grand Final Round held in Rome, Italy. The competition, which saw 714 participants from 54 countries, followed an online preliminary stage that attracted over 10,000 participants globally. Competing in two coding disciplines, Nipun demonstrated strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills using the Python programming language under strict time limits. In the "Code Combat" category, contestants were required to apply core programming concepts, including variables, conditional statements (if/else), loops, and functions, to design efficient sets of instructions that enabled a computer to solve assigned challenges accurately and effectively. Nipun secured a gold medal in this discipline. The "Code Mentum" category presented even more advanced challenges, focusing on algorithm design and complex problem-solving. Competitors were required to develop the most accurate, efficient, and fastest solutions to increasingly difficult programming tasks. Nipun earned a silver medal here. According to the competition's award system, gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded to top-performing contestants based on their results in each category, rather than representing first, second, and third place overall. However, Nipun's achievement at the young age of 12 marks a significant accomplishment for Thailand, showcasing the potential of Thai youth in science, technology, and computer programming on a global scale. This success underscores that international coding competitions are designed not simply to assess how well students memorize programming languages, but to evaluate logical thinking, analytical ability, and the capacity to translate ideas into instructions that computers can execute.