In recent news, India achieved great success at the International Linguistics Olympiad 2026 held in Romania. The team secured one gold medal, three bronze medals, and an honorable mention. Over 40 countries participated, each sending school students to compete. Unlike other Olympiads where prior knowledge is needed, this event challenges participants with languages they haven’t studied. Students must use logic and reasoning to solve complex problems.
Shrilakshmi Venkatraman won the gold medal, while Aarav Anil Rao, Nishanth Shankar Lakshmanan, and Advay Misra each received bronze medals. Soham Amit Pednekar was awarded an honorable mention for his performance.
India’s journey to the Olympiad involves a selection process through the Panini Linguistics Olympiad (PLO), which is the national competition. For this year’s event, 525 students started by taking the first round. Out of these, 338 advanced to the qualifying test in February. Those who succeeded moved on to a 10-day training camp at IIIT Hyderabad from May 31 to June 10. During the camp, participants engaged in lectures, mentoring sessions, problem-solving exercises, mock competitions, and tests to prepare for the main event.