World Robot Olympiad™
A non-profit Organization
World Robot Olympiad Association™ is an independent non-profit organization. All revenue from sponsorships and fees is invested in support of our mission, which is to promote robotics in STEM education worldwide.
WRO® operates on, is measured on and strives towards the following Values:
Diversity
WRO is accessible to young people from around the world, regardless of background
Teamwork
Our teams succeed by embracing collaboration and build friendships, integrity and character in the process
Passion
Learning occurs naturally when participants are in flow and having fun when engaged in our activities
Innovation
Our programs are innovative and hands-on, based around trending topics and technologies
Empowerment
We inspire and prepare young people to be digital pioneers, innovators and engineers
Board of Directors
All financial and strategic decisions for WRO® are made by our Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors members are:
Mr Lars Vahl
– Chairman –
bio
Mr Claus Ditlev Christensen
– Secretary General –
bio
Mr Eugene Zhang
bio
Mr Johnson Jan
bio
Mr Yasuhide Kobayashi
bio
Mr Clarence Sirisena
bio
Mr Jonathan Hung
bio
Advisory Council
The WRO® Advisory Council (AC) members bring us important strategic knowledge that helps us keep up with a constantly changing world.
The AC members are:
Mr Brent Hutcheson, South Africa
– Chairman –
bio
Mr Claus Ditlev Christensen, Denmark
Ms Fatma Bezek, Turkey
Mr Dominic Bruneau, Canada
Ms Nualwon Cha-ume, Thailand
Mr Mark Hosking, South Africa
Mr Erik Kapfer, Slovenia
Ms Birthe Ritter, Denmark
Ms Alejandra Sanchez, Costa Rica
Mr Carles Soler, Spain
Mr Zoltan Szögi, Hungary
Staff
Our dedicated WRO® staff manages the operation of our diverse and exciting organization. From helping National Organizers and collaborating with partners to develop WRO further, to managing spreadsheets and sharing our stories with the world. No stone is left unturned when it comes to fulfilling our mission and they do their best to ensure that WRO is constantly improving while also becoming accessible to more students across the world.
Our team consists of:
Mr Claus Ditlev Christensen
Secretary General
Contact by mail
Ms Karen Bebelaar
Head of Program Development
Contact by mail
Mr Markus Fleige
Head of Projects
Contact by mail
Mr Lukas Plümper
Game Concept Coordinator
Contact by mail
Mr Jonas Zagatta
Project Manager
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Mr Vahid Jourabchi
Education Specialist
Contact by mail
Mr Andreas Felder
Project Assistant
Contact by mail
Ms Sonia Lourdes
Communications Specialist
Contact by mail
The history of WRO®
Growth and development
World Robot Olympiad™ was founded in 2004. The mission statement of our founders was:
“To bring together young people all over the world to develop their creativity, design and problem-solving skills through challenging and educational robot competitions and activities.”
It was decided that the annual WRO international final would be hosted by a different country each year. In 2004, the event was hosted by Singapore and 12 countries participated. In 2019, fifteen years later, teams from 73 countries travelled to Győr in Hungary for the international final!
Today, the competition that started small in a few Asian countries has expanded to over 85 countries spread over all continents, making WRO a truly global event.
Since 2010 World Robot Olympiad Association Ltd. is officially registered as a legal entity with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) in Singapore.
You can find a list of all former hosts of international finals here.
Number of participating teams
Number of member countries
Data about 2020 & 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic hit all of our member countries. The data about participating teams in 2020 and 2021 reflects this and only concerns participation in official WRO tournaments. Many countries managed to organize other types of activities to keep teams involved.
Numbers 2023
60,000+
students involved
the tournament has been running since
2004
countries that judges at International Final came from
47
95+
countries have joined WRO
number of involved teams
20,000+
8 – 19
age of participants
2,500+
people attended the International Final
number of adult helpers involved in WRO
