Kazakh Capital to Host International Collegiate Programming Contest Finals Next Week

ASTANA — The Kazakh capital will host the 48th ICPC International Collegiate Programming Contest Finals for the first time on Sept. 15-20.

This year, 142 teams from universities around the world have advanced to the ICPC World Finals. Photo credit: Competitive Programming Federation

Kazakhstan’s Presidential Center will host the opening ceremony of the 2024 ICPC World Finals on Sept. 16. This year, out of 59,000 participants representing 111 countries and 3,000 universities, 142 teams from universities around the world have advanced to the World Finals after competing at their regional and national levels. 

Kazakhstan will be represented by five teams from the country’s leading technical universities. According to the Competitive Programming Federation’s press service, this event is an important step for Kazakhstan in strengthening its status as a key IT hub in Central Asia.

“ICPC is one of the most prestigious and important competitions in the world of sports programming. The finalists of this competition are real professionals. Many of them already work in the largest BigTech companies around the world. ICPC promotes the training of young specialists in the IT sphere, which in the future will help develop the digital economy in Kazakhstan and strengthen its position on the world stage,” wrote President of Competitive Programming Federation Bagdat Mussin on his Telegram channel on Sept. 12.

The ICPC is an algorithmic programming contest for college students. Teams of three, representing their university, work to solve real-world problems, fostering collaboration, creativity, innovation, and the ability to perform under pressure. Through training and competition, teams challenge each other to raise the bar on the possible. It is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious programming contest in the world.

Batyr Sardarbekov of Kazakhstan won the historic gold medal in the ICPC World Finals 2022-2023 in Luxor.