‘2025 International Robot Olympiad World Competition’ Hosted in Busan
Published 23 Jan.2024 07:48(KST)
Updated 05 Aug.2025 09:29(KST)
From the Planning Stage, Continuous Emphasis on Busan's Appeal and Hosting Advantages with Active Negotiations
Global Youth Event, Expansion of Robot Industry Base, Establishment of Robot Education Foundation, and Economic Ripple Effects
The host city for the "26th 2025 International Robot Olympiad World Championship," scheduled to be held in January next year, has been confirmed as Busan.
On the 20th, at the 2024 International Robot Olympiad Committee General Assembly held in Athens, Greece, the committee officially announced Busan as the host city for the 2025 World Competition.
원본보기 아이콘The "International Robot Olympiad World Championship" is one of the world's leading youth robot competitions, marking its 25th edition this year since its inaugural event in 1999.
Representatives from 30 partner countries, having passed preliminary and main rounds, will gather to compete over five days in a total of 42 events across the Junior League (elementary school) and Challenge League (middle school and above).
It is recognized as a global festival that enhances communication and collaboration skills in robotics, helping young people develop into future practical talents.
The event is hosted by the International Robot Olympiad Committee (IROC) and organized by the Korea Robot Sports Association.
This successful bid was decided at the 25th IROC General Assembly held on the 20th in Athens, Greece, where the International Robot Olympiad Committee (IROC) confirmed Busan as the host city for the 2025 World Championship.
Busan won the bid after a final competition against Langkawi, Malaysia.
The city explained that this success was the result of proactive negotiation efforts, continuously emphasizing Busan’s appeal and the advantages of hosting the event in Busan to the International Robot Olympiad Committee (IROC) from the planning stage of the bid.
In particular, the bid delegation was dispatched to the 25th championship where the host city announcement was made, engaging in diplomatic efforts such as embassy meetings and ministerial-level talks in Greece, as well as strategic negotiations.
After the successful bid, the delegation also experienced the atmosphere of the Greece championship and took time to prepare for the successful hosting of the next event.
The delegation stated that Busan’s extensive experience in hosting numerous international events and its abundant infrastructure were differentiating factors from competing cities, leading to favorable evaluations from the committee.
Especially, the city expects the hosting effect to be maximized by consecutively holding the Korean National Selection for the International Robot Olympiad (scheduled for August 2024) and the World Championship (scheduled for January 2025) in Busan.
At the Korean National Selection planned for August this year, nationwide players will compete over four days in 17 events, through which the representatives of the Republic of Korea for the World Championship will be selected.
The number of visitors to Busan for the two events, including players and companions, is estimated to be between 5,000 and 10,000 respectively, which is expected to expand the base of Busan’s robotics industry and establish a foundation for robotics education. Additionally, economic ripple effects from their visits are also anticipated.
Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, “By attracting the International Robot Olympiad World Championship, a world-class robotics competition, to Busan, we can showcase Busan’s charm and capabilities as a leading robotics city to the world,” adding, “We will use the successful hosting of the event as an opportunity to further grow Busan’s robotics industry sector.”
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