The International Youth Robot Competition ASEAN 2026 (IYRC ASEAN 2026) officially opened at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in Selangor, bringing together more than 1,000 young robotics enthusiasts from 10 countries for a three-day competition focused on robotics, programming, engineering and artificial intelligence.
Participants aged between 4 and 18 are attending from Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, India and China; the organizers noted that participation has increased from the 2025 edition, which was held in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, with 800 participants from across ASEAN in the last year’s event.
IYRC ASEAN 2026 Recap
IYRC ASEAN 2026 is divided into Foundation, Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Secondary and Open leagues. This year’s theme, Jurassic Intelligence x AI Innovation, challenges participants to design and program robotic and AI systems capable of autonomous sensing, decision-making and adaptation to complex environments, drawing inspiration from how dinosaurs adapted and responded to their surroundings.
Held from 24 to 26 July, the competition aims to encourage early interest in robotics, artificial intelligence and technology among students, schools and communities while supporting regional STEM education initiatives.
The opening ceremony was officiated by Philip Tan, Organizing Chairman of IYRC ASEAN 2026; Olivia Ooi, Co-Organizing Chairman, and Deng Cai Mei, Executive Vice President of IYRA. Tan said the competition was established to provide an international platform for young people to learn from one another through robotics and cross-border collaboration.
The official opening ceremony was attended by Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, together with representatives from government agencies, educational institutions and international partners.
Pokdepinion: If even a fraction of these 1,000-odd participants go on to build something world-changing, Malaysia will have earned its spot on that stage.
