A controversy arose around the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) held in Tashkent from August 9 to 16.

It has been reported that 17-year-old Israeli participant Yotam Budnik won a gold medal based on the competition results. However, after displaying the Israeli flag during the awarding ceremony, his results were annulled and his name was removed from the official ranking.

Budnik and other Israeli participants took part in the competition not under their country's name and flag, but as independent participants. Despite this, Budnik brought the Israeli flag to the awarding ceremony.

After stepping onto the podium, he unfolded the flag and draped it over his shoulders. According to reports, the participant also admitted that he knew this action violated the competition rules.

Following this, the organizers asked him to return the gold medal. Budnik, however, refused to hand the medal over.

Subsequently, his result was removed from the official ranking and his score was deleted. As a result, Budnik is currently not listed as a gold medal winner in the official rankings of the International Olympiad in Informatics.

The incident brought to the forefront the issue of participants using national symbols at the Olympiad, alongside sports and intellectual achievements.