Sultan Qaboos University takes top two places at Oman Collegiate Programming Contest 2026

Date Published: 21 October 2026

Two teams from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) secured first and second places at the Oman Collegiate Programming Contest (OCPC) 2026, while a team from the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) finished third. Organised by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology on 20–21 October 2026, the contest concluded with a closing ceremony held under the patronage of H.E. Dr Saif bin Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al Hadabi, Head of the Research and Innovation Authority. H.E. Dr Ali bin Amer Al Shidhani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology for Communications and Information Technology, also attended.

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SQU’s “Where is OCPC?” team claimed first place. Coached by Abdullah Al-Hamdani, the team comprised Qais Al Badawi, Mohammed Al Rabkhi and Muhannad Al Habsi. Second place went to SQU’s “Al-Qassam” team, comprising Hussam Al Shukaili, Ibrahim Al Toubi and Al Mukhtar Al Huthaili, also coached by Abdullah Al-Hamdani. GUtech’s “Fsociety” team took third place. The team comprised Mohammed Al Kindi, Khalid Al Badi and Mohammed Al Ruzaiqi, coached by Dr Sharifa Al Khanjari.

Developing skills

The Oman Collegiate Programming Contest helps identify Omani programming talent and develop analytical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills. Through specialised training camps, it also prepares students to compete in regional and international contests. The 2026 edition brought together 48 teams comprising 144 contestants. The contest forms part of the Oman Coding Race 2026, organised by the Ministry and delivered by Code Academy under “Makeen”, the national initiative for developing digital skills. It supports efforts to build national capabilities in technology and achieve the objectives of Oman Vision 2040. The contest’s partners were OQ as strategic partner, Sohar International as official partner, the Oman Energy Association (OPAL) as technical partner, and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) as silver partner.