An Israeli high school computer science prodigy was erased from the official leaderboard at an international competition in Uzbekistan after displaying an Israeli flag on the victory podium.
Yotam Budnik, a 12th-grade student from Rehovot, won a gold medal at the 2026 International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) before being disqualified for displaying the Israeli flag.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that Budnik displayed the flag amid restrictions on Israeli students representing their country at the competition.
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Budnik brought an Israeli flag with him and unveiled it after taking the stage, according to reports of the incident. The display defied restrictions preventing Israeli participants from competing under their national flag.
Following the display, Budnik's official recognition was revoked and organizers sought the return of his physical gold medal, according to reports.
Budnik reportedly refused to return it.
The disqualification stands in stark contrast to Budnik's experience just weeks earlier at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Shanghai, China, where he won gold while representing Israel.
Budnik also openly displayed the Israeli flag following his victory in Shanghai without facing a similar sanction.
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The disparate treatment meant that an expression of Israeli national identity that carried no apparent consequence in Shanghai was followed weeks later in Uzbekistan by Budnik's disqualification and removal from the official standings.
Official IMO results show Budnik finished 23rd among 666 competitors from 117 countries, earning a gold medal with 33 out of a possible 42 points.
The result marked Budnik's second consecutive gold at the prestigious mathematics competition after he also won gold in 2025. He earned bronze in 2024.
Budnik later criticized the restrictions as political and maintained that the disqualification did not diminish his achievement.
While organizers in Uzbekistan could erase Budnik's name from the leaderboard, they reportedly could not reclaim the gold medal.
Budnik refused to give it back.
OutKick reached out to the International Olympiad in Informatics for clarification on what rule Budnik was found to have violated and the basis for his disqualification, but did not receive an immediate response.
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