Uzbekistan was excluded from the International Biology Olympiad

Uzbekistan was excluded from the 2024 International Biology Olympiad (IBO), and the results of all students who participated in the Olympiad were canceled. It was also removed from the list of IBO member states. This was reported by the International Biology Olympiad.

This decision was made by the IBO Board of Directors due to the delegation of Uzbekistan's non-compliance with the rules. This may jeopardize the republic's future participation.

According to an expert who wished to remain anonymous, the principles of academic honesty were violated by the participants from Uzbekistan during the Olympiad. It was noted that special symbols were added during the translation process of the test tasks for one Uzbek student at the Olympiad held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from July 7-14 of this year.

"In our opinion, the IBO management board did not take this decision immediately because a similar situation was observed with the delegation of Uzbekistan at the International Biology Olympiad held in South Korea in 2010, when the students' results were also canceled. Since this is the second occurrence for Uzbekistan, the IBO board may have excluded Uzbekistan from the list of member states of the organization. It is no secret that violations of academic honesty occur in some Olympiads, contests, and competitions held in Uzbekistan. This seriously damages not only the fairness of these events but also the overall reputation of the education system," says the expert.

Dilfuza Sobirova, Head of the Information Service of the Ministry of Pre-School and School Education, informed that during this Olympiad held in Astana, there was an attempt to help a pedagogic student from the academic lyceum under the State Pedagogical University in Jizzakh.

For information, the International Biology Olympiad is a prestigious event that brings together the most talented and knowledgeable students from around the world. It is held annually and tests students' knowledge and skills in biology. Uzbekistan has been participating in this Olympiad since 1997.