Team India Wins 9 Medals At 19th International Earth Science Olympiad

India has recorded its best-ever medal tally at the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO), with its four-member team winning nine medals at the 19th edition of the competition in Turin. The Indian contingent secured four gold, three silver and two bronze medals across the various competitions held during the Olympiad. The event took place from August 20 to 27, 2026.

The Indian team comprised Saumik Mandal, Aaron Maiti, Riddhi Ranjan and Md Ehtesham Rizwi. The students competed in written and practical examinations, the International Team Field Investigation and the Earth Science Project competitions. Their nine-medal haul improved on India's seven-medal performance at the 2025 edition of the international competition.

The students were selected through a national process involving around 17,000 participants. After qualifying through the selection stages, they underwent an intensive three-week training and selection programme at the Department of Geology, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. The training programme was conducted from May 20 to June 11, 2026, and focused on preparing the students for the different academic and practical challenges at the IESO.

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The International Earth Science Olympiad provides school students with an international platform to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in Earth sciences. The competition covers areas including geology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography and environmental science. India's selection pathway includes a national entrance test, a training camp and the Indian National Earth Science Olympiad before the final team is selected.

India's previous best performance in an in-person IESO was 10 medals in 2019. While the 2026 team has described its nine-medal result as the country's best-ever performance in the competition, the 2019 tally remains higher in terms of the total number of medals won. The 2026 contingent's four gold medals, however, underline the strong performance across multiple categories.

The result adds to India's record of strong performances by school students at international science Olympiads. The success of the four-member team also highlights the importance of structured national-level selection and specialised training in preparing students for global academic competitions.

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