Bangladesh to Compete in Open World Astronomy Olympiad with Five-Student Team
Five students from Bangladesh have been selected to represent the country at the upcoming Open World Astronomy Olympiad, scheduled to be held in Russia from September 20 to 27. They will participate in both the junior and senior groups of the international competition.
In the senior group, the Bangladeshi flag will be carried by Saptarshi Rahman, an 11th-grade student from HEED International School in Dhaka, and Radit Rayan, a 12th-grader from Adamjee Cantonment College.
The junior group will feature three promising students: Md. Maqdoom Amin, a 10th-grade student of Police Line Secondary School, Jashore; Md. Zubayer Hossain Zisan, an 8th-grade student of Rajshahi Collegiate School; and Sayantan Roy, a 9th-grade student of South Herald English Medium School, Khulna.
These students have also secured the opportunity to compete in the 29th International Astronomy Olympiad and the Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad.
They were selected at the conclusion of the two-day Apex Astro-Olympiad 2025 workshop, hosted at East West University in the capital. Organized by the Bangladesh Astronomical Association, the final selection round involved 30 students chosen from across the country. The rigorous process culminated in a written test on the final day of the closed camp, determining the top five students to represent Bangladesh.
The selection journey began with the first round featuring nearly 2,500 participants from 11 districts. From there, 300 students advanced to the second round at the national level. Finally, 30 students participated in the third round at the closed residential camp.
The final ceremony was attended by Professor Dr. Ashique Mosaddeq, Pro-Vice Chancellor of East West University, as the chief guest. Professor Mikhail Gavrilov and Sahapar Alam were present as special guests, and the session was chaired by Mosharul Amin, Chairman of the organizing association.
Jury members overseeing the selection process included Lopa Momtaz, Lecturer at Notre Dame University; Khalid Mahbub, Lecturer at East West University; and Robin Fakir, Fariduddin Ahmed, and Masudul Hasan Zayedi from the Bangladesh Astronomical Association.
