CST and Mawhiba Announce Saudi Arabia’s First Participation in IOAA2024 in Brazil

The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) has announced the first participation of the Saudi Astronomy Team in the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA 2024) in Brazil, in collaboration with the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba). This achievement comes after CST's and Mawhiba's joint programs that included training and preparing students. The Saudi Astronomy Team is represented by Jude Basem Al-Luhyani from the Makkah Education Department, Fajr Hassan Al-Obaidan from the Al-Ahsa Education Department, and Hussein Hassan Al-Mubarak from the Eastern Province Education Department. Each member has undergone around 590 hours of training. Their participation reflects CST's commitment to nurturing national talent for global competition in the space sector, empowering local individuals, and motivating students to pursue careers in space and related fields, all aimed at strengthening Saudi Arabia's capabilities in the space indus try. CST has fulfilled these goals by implementing a series of training programs over a 12-month period. This initiative was designed in collaboration with Mawhiba to prepare students for the IOAA 2024, which assesses participants' skills in astronomical observation, celestial mechanics, astrophysics, and cosmology. As a regulator in the space sector, CST is committed to offering a variety of training and educational programs. These initiatives aim to prepare national cadres to keep up with rapid developments in space and to enhance opportunities in the field. Source: Saudi Press Agency