Dhaka: A Nepali student has won a bronze medal at the International Astronomy Olympiad. Sauryam Shrestha, a Grade 10 student at St. Xavier’s School, Godawari, secured the medal at the 29th edition of the Olympiad held in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, from November 6 to 15.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Nepal has been participating in the International Astronomy Olympiad for several years. NASO Chair Suresh Bhattarai highlighted that Nepal had previously won bronze medals in 2019 and 2023. The Nepal Astronomical Society (NASO) is responsible for selecting participants for the international event through a national-level competition.
The National Astronomy Olympiad, which has been conducted annually since 2014, serves as an educational platform aimed at identifying students’ talents at the preliminary level. Top performers from this competition are recommended to represent Nepal in the international competition. To date, more than 3,000 students have participated in the National Olympiad, with many pursuing higher studies in science at prestigious universities in Nepal and abroad.
The competition targets students from Grades 8 to 10, generally between 13 and 20 years of age, from all seven provinces. Selection rounds are organized across all provinces to ensure a wide pool of talent.