Overview

• The IOAA Board voted by an overwhelming majority to allow Israeli students and mentors to participate but to suspend the use of Israel’s name, flag and other national identifiers starting in 2026.
• The decision followed a petition signed by more than 500 scientists urging a ban on Israel’s national team while permitting individual Israeli participation to protect students.
• About 300 Indian scientists wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi objecting to the conduct of named academics around the Olympiad and urging government action.
• Petitioning scientists defended their stance in public statements and posts, saying the appeal was a moral responsibility and noting IOAA’s 2022 suspensions of Russia and Belarus as precedent.
• The 2025 edition of the high‑school competition was hosted in Mumbai with participants from 63 countries, and the IOAA Board is an autonomous body comprising roughly 120 delegates from participating nations.