All five students representing Romania at the 19th International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad have won medals, taking home three golds and two silvers at a competition held in Hanoi, Vietnam, that brought together 315 contestants from 64 countries.
The gold medalists are Alexandru-Ioan Jicu, a 10th-grade student at the Gheorghe Vrănceanu National College in Bacău; Teodor Bichir, a 12th-grade student at the International Theoretical High School of Informatics in Bucharest; and Robert-Cristian Amariei, a 10th-grade student at the Sfântu Nicolae Theoretical High School in Gheorgheni, Harghita County. The silver medals went to Vlad Toncu, a 9th-grade student at the Tudor Vianu National College of Informatics in Bucharest, and Vlad-Tudor Bolohan, an 11th-grade student at the International Theoretical High School of Informatics in Bucharest.
The competition, held from September 25 to October 5, 2026, tested participants across five events: a theoretical round, a practical round involving telescope observations, a planetarium round, a data analysis round, and a team event. The Romanian team was coordinated by Professor Dr. Petru Crăciun, deputy general school inspector at the Suceava County School Inspectorate; Professor Dr. Adrian Bodnarescu of the Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi National College in Rădăuți, Suceava County; and Naghi Elisabeta Ana, a member of the olympiad's international committee.
The selection and training of the Romanian team took place in Suceava, through a collaboration involving the Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava, the Suceava County School Inspectorate, and the CYGNUS Scientific Society, in partnership with the Suceava Sports Program High School. Scientific coordination was provided by Professor Petru Crăciun of the Suceava County School Inspectorate and Professor Cristian Pîrghie of the Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava.
The Ministry of Education and Research stated that it supports the participation of national teams in international olympiads by covering participation fees, travel and accommodation costs, and by organizing the selection and training stages. The ministry publicly congratulated the medalists, noting that all five members of the Romanian delegation returned home with medals.
The result places Romania among the top-performing nations at this year's olympiad, which is dedicated to astronomy and astrophysics and is considered one of the most demanding international science competitions for high school students. The event combines observational astronomy, data interpretation, and theoretical physics, requiring participants to demonstrate both practical skills and deep conceptual understanding.
The 19th edition of the olympiad was hosted in Hanoi, Vietnam, and attracted students from 64 countries. The Romanian team's performance follows a tradition of strong results in international science olympiads, supported by partnerships between universities, school inspectorates, and scientific societies that provide training infrastructure for gifted students.