RIYADH: The Saudi team won four international awards at the 2024 European Physics Olympiad this week in Georgia. The team members were among 275 high-school students from 55 countries competing at the five-day event, which began on Monday and concluded on Friday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Their success brings the total number of academic Olympiad awards won by Saudi students to 21. Mazen Al-Shakhs, from Al-Ahsa, won a silver medal, while Wissam Al-Qanbar, from the Eastern Province, and Ahmed Arif, from Jeddah, each won bronze. Ahmed Fadlallah, from Makkah, received a certificate of appreciation. The students were participating in the contest with the support of the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, also known as Mawhiba, and the Ministry of Education. Amal Al-Hazzaa, the secretary-general of Mawhiba, said she was proud of what the students accomplished, describing it as yet another achievement by talented Saudi individuals in international competitions. “Mawhiba is dedicated to empowering talented Saudis by developing their skills and competencies using the latest global methods for discovering and nurturing talent,” she added. “This effort aligns with, and contributes to, the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.” The Saudi team members competing at the event underwent intensive preparation, including tuition from an elite group of Saudi and international experts. They took regular tests and developed their higher-level thinking skills by carrying out physics experiments with which they were unfamiliar, that were designed specifically for such local and international competitions. They also used tools tailored to prepare them for the kinds of questions and tasks they would face, which included challenging ideas and puzzles. The European Physics Olympiad is a competition in which high-school students are presented with problems that require creative solutions. It is open to countries in Europe and beyond, which can send five students and one leader. The inaugural event took place in Estonia in 2017. The concept behind the Olympiad is based on real-world research situations, with problems that allow space for creative solutions. Mawhiba thanked its partners, including the Ministry of Education and other strategic collaborators, for their help to train and hone the skills of Saudi students for the event. This formed part of the Mawhiba International Olympiad Program which, in a strategic partnership with the ministry, offers students the chance to attend training camps throughout the year. It is one of 20 initiatives that offer advanced curricula and enrichment programs in subjects related to science, engineering and health.