Iranian teams excel at West Asia programming championship

The West Asia Programming Championship took place on March 8, simultaneously in four locations—Tehran (Iran), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Mathura (India), and Topi (Pakistan)—with 62 top teams from the region participating.

The event was supported by Iran’s Vice Presidency for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy and hosted by Sharif University of Technology.
In a highly competitive field, Ballmer Peak from Sharif University of Technology secured first place, while Sensodyne from the University of Tehran finished fifth, earning a spot in the 2025 Gold Finance World Finals, widely regarded as the Olympics of programming.

Professor Hamid Zarrabi-Zadeh, head of the Computer Engineering Department at Sharif University, highlighted the event’s purpose: “The competition is designed to strengthen students’ teamwork skills, problem-solving abilities, and programming expertise. Additionally, it serves as a platform for identifying and retaining top programming talent in the country.”

The West Asia regional competition spans eight sites, including Iran, three sites in India, as well as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Winners from these sites advance to the global stage.

Sharif University had already secured a direct spot in the World Finals during a preliminary competition in December. This recent contest determined additional qualifiers, bringing West Asia’s quota to 14 teams, with seven additional teams earning their place in the global finals.

The 2025 Gold Finance World Finals will take place in Azerbaijan Republic in September, where top programming teams from around the world will compete.