A new golden chapter in the history of Romanian education was written in Busan, South Korea, where the prestigious Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO 2026) took place. In a competition of legendary difficulty, which brought together the world’s elite in the exact sciences, Romania’s Olympic team achieved brilliant results, winning a total of three silver medals, three bronze medals, and an honorable mention.
The young physicists who put Romania on the international podium are:
- 🥈 Silver Medal: Raul Covrig (Dragoș Vodă National High School, Sighetu Marmației, Maramureș County)
- 🥈 Silver Medal: Teodor Bichir (Bucharest International High School of Computer Science)
- 🥈 Silver Medal: Alexandru Condrea (Bucharest International Theoretical High School of Computer Science)
- 🥉 Bronze Medal: Vlad Bolohan (Bucharest International Theoretical High School of Computer Science)
- 🥉 Bronze Medal: Bogdan Ciocârlan (Bucharest International Theoretical High School of Computer Science)
- 🥉 Bronze Medal: Bogdan Rusea (Emil Racoviță National College, Cluj-Napoca)
- 🏅 Honorable Mention: Albert Lupu (Bucharest International Theoretical High School of Computer Science)
Behind these brilliant minds lie hundreds of hours of dedicated work, discipline, and passion, as well as the support of exceptional mentors. The Romanian team was masterfully prepared and coordinated by top educators from the academic and high school sectors: Prof. Delia Davidescu, Ph.D. (Bucharest International Theoretical High School of Computer Science) and Assoc. Prof. Sebastian Popescu, Ph.D. (Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași).
For the Smarval community, this achievement is the perfect example of our mission: pure proof that young Romanians possess the talent and resilience needed to compete and excel alongside the world’s best.
Smarval extends its warmest congratulations to the entire team, the supervising teachers, the students’ home schools, and the families who support them on this path to excellence!