Informatics: A Review of Selection Processes, Trainings and Promotion Activities

For a country to be allowed to send a national delegation to the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), it must organise a national competition to select the national delegation. In addition to the competition, trainings can also be proposed to the selected contestants to train them specifically for the IOI. How to organise the national contests is at the discretion of countries, so far as fairness is ensured among all the potential candidates. This paper reviews common structural elements and activities organised by several countries, for the advertisement of the national contest, the steps of the selection process and the proposed trainings. Specific activities added by countries according to cultural aspects or other country-specific characteristics are highlighted with the reasons motivating the integration of those activities. Based on the review, this paper summarises the key activities that could be organised by any country, with explanations about what they bring to the national contestants and motivation for their organisation