The British Informatics Olympiad is the computing competition for schools and colleges. We are proud to present BIO 2002, sponsored by Lionhead Studios.

Press release
22 August 2002
For immediate publication
BIO 2002 - the national computing competition for schools

Top boffins face Korea challenge

Summary

Four of Britain's finest programmers are this week facing the greatest test yet of their skills, competing in the Olympic Games of computing - the prestigious International Olympiad in Informatics, hosted by Korea. Unlike the World Cup, this competition is based on skill at using computers to solve challenging problems.

The team's selection (in the national British Informatics Olympiad), training and travel have been made possible by the financial support of Lionhead Studios, the UK's leading videogames developer. The BIO is assisted and endorsed by e-competitions, which is supported by the DTI and DFEE.

Release

The International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) is an annual event that brings together the top four young programmers from each of over 70 countries. These students battle it out for gold, silver and bronze, competing as individuals. The IOI consists of two days of competition, plus cultural visits and lots of free time.

The final results of the IOI are expected to be posted on the IOI's website (http://www.ioi2002.or.kr/) on Sunday 25 August.

The team members are:

• Adam Bull, Roundhay School
• Adam Langley, Sir Thomas Rich's School
• Nick Krempel, Westminster School
• Paul Jefferys, Birkhamsted Collegiate School

Tim Rance, a director of Lionhead, said "We were very impressed with the extremely high standard of the all competitors and feel that a very strong team has been selected for the international final. Lionhead is proud to be able to sponsor the BIO team and promote the excellence that exists at school level within the British computing fraternity."

The team are pictured below.

At BIO final (from left to right): Adam Bull, Paul Jefferys, Adam Langley and Nick Krempel.

Team training at Lionhead Studios (from left to right): Paul Jefferys, Adam Bull, Nick Krempel and Adam Langley

Further information

More information on the BIO may be obtained from:

Photographs

Copyright-free photographs of the team and finalists are available from the Chairman.

Internet resources

The BIO publishes a large amount of information on the Internet. For details of the BIO and related material, take a look at the BIO Index.

If you are publishing a link to the BIO website, please use the location http://www.christs.cam.ac.uk/bio/

Background Information

The British Informatics Olympiad

The British Informatics Olympiad (BIO) is an annual competition in computer programming for students at secondary schools and sixth form/FE colleges. Any student who is under 19, in full time pre-university education and resident in mainland Britain, is eligible to take part and may win the prize of an expenses-paid trip to the prestigious International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI).

The first stage of the BIO is a three-hour exam, taken at school, in which students solve problems with the aid of a computer. These are marked by a teacher and submitted for moderation. Based on the results of this exam, the top 15-20 competitors are invited to the BIO final in Cambridge, over the Easter holiday. The best four make up the team to represent Britain at the IOI.

Organisation and aims

The BIO is a non-profit making organisation founded in 1995, aiming to encourage students to take an active interest in information technology, to allow them to meet and exchange ideas, and to give the best the chance to compete at the annual International Olympiad in Informatics.

In order to make the BIO as inclusive as possible, it is free to enter. This can only be achieved thanks to the aid of commercial sponsorship. The 2002 British Informatics Olympiad is sponsored by Lionhead Studios, who are widely regarded as the leading videogames developer in the UK, in an industry where the UK leads the world. The company's first game, Black & White, won many awards including 2 BAFTAs and topped the charts with a concept that changed gaming forever. Lionhead and its three satellite developers are currently creating a new generation of innovative videogames for all the major platforms.