ROBOT TEAM LEADS THE WAY

China clinches gold as part of international student alliance in competition at the home of the Olympics, Cheng Yuezhu reports.

Athens, a city in Greece steeped in Olympic history, once again welcomed a global gathering of young talent last month. This time, it wasn't athletes but young innovators representing 193 countries and regions, who converged for the 2024 FIRST Global Challenge.

Representing Team China in this annual international robotics competition was a group of 13 senior middle school students, who demonstrated their technological ingenuity in an arena of friendly competition and intercultural exchange.

After 18 matches over three rounds between Sept 26 and 29, the team brought home multiple accolades. They clinched gold as a member of the FIRST Global Winning Alliance alongside Moldova, Madagascar and the Cook Islands, the second consecutive year Team China has won the prize. They also won bronze in the Albert Einstein Award for FIRST Global International Excellence, and bronze in the FIRST Global Grand Challenge Award.