On September 24, 2000 (August 27, 2000 lunar calendar), the International Informatics Olympiad opened in Beijing. On September 24, 2000, the 12th International Informatics Olympiad opened at the Beijing International Convention Center. As one of the five international Olympic discipline competitions, the Informatics Olympiad is an event in the field of computer science initiated by UNESCO in 1988 and participated by middle school students from all over the world under the age of 20. The purpose is to popularize computer science among young people, provide an exchange opportunity for young people from all over the world, and learn the excellent culture of the host country through competitions and visits, so as to deepen the understanding of the host country. The competition is held in different countries every year. Although the history of the International Informatics Olympiad is not long, it has developed rapidly. The number of participating teams has grown from 13 in 1988 to 71 this year. Our country has participated in the team since the first session and achieved good results. Through the organization of the Informatics Olympiad, tens of thousands of young people in our country have joined the ranks of learning information technology. This competition is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Education, the China Association for Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Beijing Municipal People's Government, and organized by the China Computer Federation. This is the first time the International Informatics Olympiad has been held in our country since its establishment 12 years ago, and it is also the first time it has been held in the Asia-Pacific region. More than 200 athletes from 71 teams from 70 countries and regions participated. The way of the informatics "Olympiad" competition is to let the contestants solve the given task by computer programming method within a limited time. The contestants with innovative ability and extensive knowledge of information technology will stand out in the competition and become the winners. Previously, our country has hosted the international "Olympiad" of mathematics, physics and chemistry. Our country won the right to host this competition in fierce competition with other countries. Minister of Education Chen Zhili, Vice Chairperson of the China Association for Science and Technology Zhang Yutai and others attended the opening ceremony. The competition ended on September 29.