India performed well in the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) 2026, with all four members of the national team winning gold medals in the competition held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from July 10 to July 19, 2026. The win was India’s first ever success in the history of participation in the International Chemistry Olympiad.According to the Ministry of Education, India also finished the national intelligence medals along with China, Vietnam and Group B (from Russia). The 2026 edition of the Olympiad was the largest to date, with 363 students representing 93 countries.Four Indian students have won gold medalThe four students who represented India and got gold medals are:
The Indian delegation included Prof. Subhajit Bandyopadhyay as Head Mentor, Dr. Indrani Sen of Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education (HBCSE) as Mentor, and Dr. Anubendu Adhikary of IIT Kharagpur and Dr. Jayasree Gopalakrishnan of NES Ratnam College of Arts, Science, Sciif, Observers, MuciifThe big edition of the OlympiadThe 58th International Chemistry Olympiad consisted of technical and experimental tests designed to assess advanced understanding of chemistry.The theoretical assessment consisted of nine problems on topics such as reaction kinetics, porous framework materials, nitrogen fixation, catalytic reduction of carbon dioxide, cyclocarbons, stereochemistry and phosphoesters. Students also answered questions about analytical chemistry, materials science and industrial processes.The test consisted of three laboratory-based tasks, including the synthesis and analysis of metals, the identification of biochemical compounds using enzyme-based tests, and the analysis of acid concentrations through pH-metric titration methods.What has happened in India over the yearsThis was India’s 27th appearance at the International Chemistry Olympiad. According to the government’s statement, Indian participants have won gold medals in 32 percent of all participants, silver medals in 51 percent and bronze medals in 17 percent from the country.In the last 10 games that India has appeared in the Olympiad, the share of gold medals has increased to 43 percent, while silver medals are 53 percent of the total medals won during this period.The Ministry of Education also acknowledged the support of the HBCSE Chemistry Olympiad Cell, external consultants, the National Steering Committee on Science Olympiads, teaching organizations and the financial assistance provided by the Department of Atomic Energy, the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education for the preparation of the Indian team.