The 17th School Robotic Competition, organised by the Ministry of Sports and Youth, represented by the Qatar Scientific Club (QSC), in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), kicked off on Sunday at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall.
The three-day championship saw significant improvements in organisation and a notable increase in participants, with more than 2,200 students divided into more than 800 teams from 227 public and private schools, reflecting the organisers' commitment to hosting an exceptional championship.
The QSC aims to present a distinctive version of the championship by introducing new updates in both organisation and competitions.
The 2025 edition includes main competitions such as the Open Robotics Competition, Robot Arm Competition, FLL Competition, Explore Competition, Discovery Competition, Ball Collecting Competition, Line Tracing Competition, Submarine Challenge, Drone Competition, Sumo Competition, and Football Competition.
All competitions are either internationally or regionally recognised, or are local competitions with specific participation criteria for all educational levels.
On this occasion, HE the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, Yasser bin Abdullah al-Jamal, emphasised the ministry's commitment to supporting events that empower students in modern science and technology fields, aligning with Qatar's Vision 2030.
He praised the outstanding level demonstrated by students during the championship, stressing Qatar's significant interest in developing youth skills in science and technology, which positively impacts Qatar's participation quality in international scientific forums.
The Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs, Maha Zayed Qaqaa al-Ruwaili, stated that the School Robotic Championship is one of the leading educational events that embody the MoEHE’s vision to develop students' skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It is more than just a competition; it provides a platform for enhancing critical and creative thinking, fostering teamwork and leadership, and stimulating innovation, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
She added that the significant turnout reflects students' awareness of the importance of technology and its role in their future.
In a speech during the opening ceremony, QSC executive director and c chairman of the championship's High Organising Committee, engineer Rashid al-Rahimi, described the championship as a milestone in the journey of challenge and determination to achieve the best for students and Qatar's future.
QSC managing director and chairman of the operations committee of the Schools Robotic Championship, HE Sheikh Ali bin Salman al-Thani, said that the participating teams will compete in various skills related to robotics.
He described the current edition of the championship as being characterised by a huge number of participants.
He added that there is a new addition to the contest: the submarine robot, which has been allocated to high school students only.
It is a new competition that aims to keep pace with the modern era and allows students to experience engineering challenges in the real world, and develop the skills necessary to solve those challenges in the depths of the seas using a submarine.
