Another important goal of IOI is to bring together exceptionally talented students from various countries and to have them share scientific and cultural experiences.

The idea of initiating the International Olympiad in Informatics for high school students was proposed to the 24th General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris by the Bulgarian delegate Professor Blagovest Sendov in October 1987.

The IOI is organized annually in and by one of the participating countries (with more than 80 countries). Each participating country selects a team of up to four secondary school students to represent their nation. Each country also brings a team leader and deputy leader.

Taiwan has been participating in IOI for 20 years with 80 students having entered the competition. The previous track record of 73 Medals, including 14 Golds, 37 Slivers, and 22 Bronzes, shows the competitive edges of students from Taiwan on computer science and information technology.

The 26th annual International Olympiad in Informatics will be held in Taipei, Taiwan on July 13 to 20, 2014. IOI 2014 will be jointly organized by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education and National Science Council and co-organized by Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering - National Taiwan Normal University and Taipei City Government. The sponsors of IOI 2014 are Acer, Chunghwa Telecom, Cisco, Schneider Electric, and Intel.

Competitors, representing more than 80 countries, will get together to compete among the best and the brightest. During these two competition days, students compete individually and try to maximize their score by solving a set of informatics problems.

Each competition lasts five hours. When the clock starts, an envelope containing four complex problems will be opened. The competition tasks are of algorithmic nature; however, the contestants have to show basic IT skills such as problem analysis, design of algorithms and data structures, programming and testing.

In order to perform well, students must design computer programs that can help to solve each problems in the most efficient and accurate way possible over the next five hours. The winners of the IOI can be recorded as the best young computer scientists in the world.

For the remaining days, cultural and recreational events are organized. Competitors will enjoy tours to learn and experience Taiwan from traditional culture (e.g., National Center for Traditional Arts, Lan Yang Museum, Taipei Confucius Temple, and Baoan Temple), natural landscape (e.g., Yehliu Geopark and North Cost National Scenic Area).

Moreover, Arts and Humanities (Ju-Ming Museum) , architecture and history (the Presidential Palace, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, the National Theater Concert Hall, National Dr.Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, and Taipei 101), and Taiwan's famous attractions (Yangmingshan National Park, Maokong Gondola, Tapei Zoo, Taipei Expo Park, Beitou hot spring area), as well as a variety of Taiwanese cuisines.

Different tours will show the competitors that Taiwan is not only famous for its technology development but also for its gourmet food and culture diversity. With IOI 2014, we are able to introduce Taiwan’s culture, history, natural sceneries, gourmet, and people to the competitors from more than 80 different countries.