Doha: Qatar Scientific Club, under the Ministry of Sports and Youth, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, announced the launch of the 17th edition of the School Robotic Championship, which will kick off Sunday, February 1, and run for three days. This year’s edition features major improvements in organization, with over 2,200 students participating in 800 teams from 225 public and private schools, showcasing the organizers’ commitment to hosting an exceptional event.
According to Qatar News Agency, Director of Youth Affairs at the Ministry of Sports and Youth, Fawaz Al Misifri, explained that the championship aims to foster creativity and innovation among young people by providing a competitive environment for talented individuals to participate in global competitions, representing Qatar in regional and international tournaments. The event also seeks to promote robotics and digital technology in education while enhancing participants’ problem-solving skills, helping to nurture a generation of creative and innovative thinkers.
Chair of the Technical and Scientific Committee for the championship, Fatima Al Mahmadi, added that this year’s competition introduces a new challenge: the Submarine Robot competition. This will give students the opportunity to face real-world engineering challenges underwater using ROV (remotely operated vehicles) technology. She emphasized that the support from the Ministry of Sports and Youth, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, has been instrumental in ensuring the competition is well-equipped and competitive.
The overall winner from Qatar will earn the chance to compete in the Arab or World Robotics Championship. Additionally, a scientific exhibition showcasing youth-led research and innovations will be held, featuring projects supervised by Qatar Scientific Club that have ranked highly, along with robots and technological innovations developed by the club’s team.
The School Robotic Championship aims to be a key digital and competitive platform, helping to build a generation that can keep pace with technological advancements while strengthening Qatar’s role in artificial intelligence and robotics. Director of Public Relations and Communication at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Mariam Abdullah Al Mahmadi, pointed out that robotics serves as an advanced educational tool that boosts students’ creativity and problem-solving skills, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Qatar Scientific Club is focused on making this year’s edition unique, with updates to the organization and competition formats. The championship will include 12 main competition categories, such as Open Innovation, Robot Arm Challenge, Football and Drone Challenge, Discovery and Exploration, FLL Robot Challenge, Line Following, Ball Collector, Sumo, and the newly introduced Submarine Robot competition. All competitions are recognized either internationally, regionally, or locally, with specific participation criteria across all educational levels.
This year’s championship also saw a rise in participants, including the inclusion of students with disabilities. Four schools participated, with six teams and 30 students, reflecting Qatar’s commitment to inclusivity in line with its National Vision 2030.