Turkmen Schoolchildren Placed in the Top 20 at the European Robotics Finals in the Netherlands
The Oguzrobot team of young engineers and programmers, representing Specialized Secondary School No. 97 in Ashgabat, achieved major international success at the FIRST Tech Challenge European Premier Event 2026. The prestigious technology competition, which brought together 105 top teams from 33 countries, took place from June 16–20 at the Indoor-Sportcentrum in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Following the intense finals, the Turkmen high school students demonstrated outstanding technical preparation and confidently entered the top 20 robotics teams in Europe. The students had previously earned a spot at this prestigious IT competition, organized by the Dutch foundation STEAMup, by winning high awards at the Central Asian stage in Astana.
In honor of this success of the young innovators, Turkmenistan's Ambassador to Belgium, Sapar Palvanov, invited the team and their mentor to the diplomatic mission in Brussels. The technology team included talented Ashgabat students Durdane Kurbanova, Ogulay Kulyeva, Oraznyyaz Rejepov, Nepesaly Tachmyradov, and Nurali Kerimov, who developed their project solutions under the guidance of experienced mentor Gurban Seitgulyev.
During a warm and motivating meeting, the head of the diplomatic mission warmly congratulated the students on reaching such a high international level, noting that their success in applied robotics, engineering, and IT modeling is a clear indicator of the colossal intellectual potential of Turkmenistan's new generation. The diplomat also gave the schoolchildren a tour of the embassy, providing a detailed account of the intricacies of diplomatic service and the role of international relations in promoting national scientific and educational projects in Europe, and encouraging the young roboticists to pursue new technological achievements.
