India achieved its best performance at 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 19, 2026. The achievement marked India’s first all-gold performance in the history of its participation in the International Chemistry Olympiad.According to the Ministry of Education, India also stood first in the medal count by country along with China, Vietnam and Individual Participants Group B (from Russia). The 2026 edition of the Olympiad was the largest to date, with 363 students representing 93 countries.four Indian students strike gold medalsThe four students who represented India and won gold medals are:
The Indian delegation included Professor Subhajit Bandyopadhyay as Principal 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 and Commerce.Biggest edition of the OlympiadThe 58th International Chemistry Olympiad included theoretical and experimental examinations designed to assess advanced understanding of chemistry.The theory exam consisted of nine problems covering topics such as reaction kinetics, porous framework materials, nitrogen fixation, catalytic reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide, cyclocarbons, stereochemistry and phosphoesters. Students also solved questions related to analytical chemistry, materials science and industrial chemical processes.The experimental examination included three laboratory tasks, including the synthesis and analysis of a metal complex, the identification of biochemical mixtures using enzyme-based tests, and the analysis of acidic mixtures using pH-metric titration techniques.India’s performance over the yearsThis was India’s 27th appearance in the International Chemistry Olympiad. According to official data, Indian participants have won gold medals in 32 percent of all participations, silver medals in 51 percent and bronze medals in 17 percent since the country’s debut.During India’s last 10 appearances at the Olympics, the share of gold medals has increased to 43%, while silver medals account for 53% of the total medals won during the period.The Ministry of Education also acknowledged the contribution of the HBCSE Chemistry Olympiad Cell, external mentors, the National Science Olympiad Steering Committee, teachers’ organizations and the financial support provided by the Department of Atomic Energy, the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education in preparing the Indian team.