The Philippines has once again taken center stage in the global robotics arena as it hosts another World Robot Olympiad (WRO) event for the fourth time, with organizers emphasizing the competition’s role in fostering unity despite geopolitical tensions.
“I really feel this competition is not only about competing and winning,” said Markus Fleige, the WRO Head of Projects, during a media briefing held at the Manila Hotel on September 15.
This year’s press conference was held ahead of the WRO 2025 Asia Pacific Open Championship, which will take place in the Philippines from September 18 to 21 at the Le Pavillion in Pasay City. The competition is expected to draw teams from across the Asia-Pacific region, along with delegations from Europe and Africa.
“It’s also an important part that we have the friendship evening at the event, where the kids can come together, exchange contact details, perhaps, and hopefully go back with two or three friends also, and not only with an award,” Fleige added.
Moreover, Lukas Plumper, Game Concept Coordinator of the WRO, underscored how competitions can transcend political divides.
“Sometimes if you know the political background about some countries, then that’s very amazing that the participants can just sit next to each other, work together, and have fun together,” he said.
Mylene Abiva of FELTA Multi-Media Inc., the organizer of the event, said the country’s repeated hosting shows its commitment to STEM education and future-ready skills.
“We are promoting the future skills of the Philippines and along benchmarking along with other developed countries like Germany, Japan, USA in fact, and other countries coming,” she said.
“I think this is really a testament that we are not behind. The reason why… we’re doing this again for the fourth time is that we’re showcasing that we need resources from government to help also the private sector.”
Plumper praised the Philippines for setting a high bar in preparing event officials. “I could really say Philippines are a leading example here for other countries preparing judges for this event,” he said, noting the professionalism and detail of the training provided to local judges.
Abiva also cited the long-term impact of the Philippine Robotics Olympiad, which has been running for 25 years. She said the program has produced engineers, scientists, and inventors, including alumni now serving at the Department of Science and Technology.
“When we travel abroad, you don’t talk about how much you have, but it’s really about bringing home glory to God and country,” she said.
Overall, organizers said the event is a platform for cultural exchange and mutual learning.
“It’s truly amazing and very important to have such events where people from different countries, from different cultures come together and learn from each other, get to know each other, so we maybe overcome political conflicts in the future,” Plumper added.
The World Robot Olympiad is a global robotics competition that began in Singapore in 2004 and has since expanded to more than 90 countries.
It features categories like RoboMission, RoboSports, Future Innovators, and Future Engineers, with divisions for elementary, junior, and senior students. Teams of two to three students, guided by a coach, design and program robots to solve real-world challenges based on an annual theme. National winners qualify for the international finals, which rotate among host nations.
