ICPC World Finals opening ceremony held in Baku

1 September 2025, Baku: The opening ceremony of the 49th World Finals of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) was held in Baku for the first time with partnership of the Central Bank, the organization of the ICPC Foundation, the hosting of ADA University, the cooperation of ICPC Azerbaijan community and the Innovation and Digital Development Agency, and the support of PASHA Holding.

William B. Poucher, president of the ICPC Foundation and Fuad Hajiyev, director of the ICPC 49th World Finals, welcomed contestants and wished them success at the event organized at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

Taleh Kazimov, Governor of the Central Bank, called hosting the world finals in Baku as evidence of the country’s technological progress and its openness to international cooperation. He emphasized his confidence that this important event would strengthen Azerbaijan’s profile as a regional tech hub. T. Kazimov noted that young people, through the knowledge and experience gained at a globally significant event like ICPC, would contribute to shaping the country’s technological future and solving the complex challenges of the financial sector.

Professor Hafiz Pashayev, ADA University rector and Samir Mammadov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport, in their speeches, spoke about the importance of hosting the ICPC 49th World Finals in our country and the opportunities it would create.

The ICPC Foundation presented awards to partner institutions, honoring the Central Bank and its leadership for their role in bringing the competition to Azerbaijan. Vusal Khalilov, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, also received an award for close cooperation with the ICPC.

Note that, Azerbaijan first entered ICPC regional rounds in 2004. Until now, our country was represented in the finals by only one team. This year, for the first time, Azerbaijan is represented in the world finals by two teams—from ADA University and Baku Higher Oil School.

The competition brings together the strongest teams from leading universities across different countries. Overall, more than 50,000 students from nearly 3,500 universities in over 110 countries compete annually in the official stages of ICPC. Teams of three representing 140 higher education institutions from 70 countries will compete at the world finals this year.

OpenAI, Google, and Huawei also sent representatives to Baku this year.

ICPC plays a crucial role in the development of programming, increasing young people’s interest in the field, and achieving global recognition.