Limassol's Laniteio Gymnasium made history in Sofia, securing Cyprus' first-ever top spot at the European Statistics Competition after battling thousands of international student teams with a creative demographic video.

Historic Triumph in Sofia

The STATRUN team from Laniteio Gymnasium of Limassol was awarded, on Wednesday, first place in the 14-16 age category, at the European Statistics Competition awards ceremony held in Sofia, Bulgaria. According to the Cyprus Statistical Service (CYSTAT) this marks the first time that a team from Cyprus has won the European Statistics Competition.

According to a press release issued by CYSTAT, the European phase of the competition followed a highly demanding national phase with the participation of 9,096 teams comprising 28,832 students from 22 countries.

The Creative Challenge

The winning teams from each country (two per category) were invited to produce a two-minute video presenting a statistical “portrait” of the people of their country. Using official statistics, contestants were asked to create an engaging and accurate portrayal of their country’s population while also demonstrating how data can be used to describe national identity.

The evaluation of the 35 submissions in the 14–16 age category and the 39 submissions in the 16–18 age category was carried out in two stages. The jury, composed of experts and specialists in fields related to statistics and communication, selected the five best videos in each category, which were announced today during the awards ceremony.

Exceptional Cypriot Presence

According to CYSTAT, the teams from Cyprus performed exceptionally well in the European phase. Of the four teams that participated, the STATRUN team won first place in the 14-16 age category, the ANOVA team won third place in the 16-18 age category and the OUTLIARS team was among the top twelve in the same category.

The Statistical Service, the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, the University of Cyprus and the Cyprus Statistical Society, co-organizers of the competition in Cyprus, extend their warmest congratulations to the students and tutors of the STATRUN team, who won first place, as well as the other Cypriot teams, for their outstanding work and for representing Cyprus with distinction.

"These achievements are an inspiration to the school community, highlighting the value of teamwork, creativity and systematic effort," CYSTAT notes.

Final Standings by Category

Source: CNA (ΚΥΠΕ)