Team BVI Heads To South Korea
A team of five young Virgin Islanders is set to represent the Territory at the 2026 FIRST Global Challenge in Incheon, South Korea. The international Olympics-style robotics competition will bring together over 190 national teams to solve real-world problems through STEM.
Five young Virgin Islanders are preparing to showcase their technical skills on the international stage as Team BVI travels to Incheon, Republic of Korea, for the 2026 FIRST Global Challenge. The team, comprising Christopher Robinson, Nicholas Joseph, Stephon Jainauth, Caleb Stoutt, and Ricardo Seebaran, will represent the British Virgin Islands at the prestigious international robotics competition from 7 to 10 October.
This marks the Territory's fourth consecutive year participating in the global event. The FIRST Global Challenge is an Olympics-style competition that brings together high school-aged students from more than 190 countries. Participants build and programme robots to compete and collaborate, exploring solutions to global challenges through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
This year's competition is organised under the theme "Igniting Innovation," with challenges focused on wildfire prevention, mitigation, and recovery. Teams will employ engineering, creativity, and strategic gameplay in a simulated environment to explore how emerging technology can reduce disaster risks, protect communities, and bolster environmental resilience.
Team BVI enters the 2026 competition following three consecutive years of impressive growth on the global stage. The Virgin Islands made its debut in Singapore in 2023, placing 143rd out of 191 teams, before advancing to 111th out of 180 teams in Athens, Greece, in 2024. The Territory achieved its highest ranking to date at the 2025 competition in Panama, surging to 42nd globally and finishing first among participating Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) members.
This upward trajectory highlights the expanding coding and robotics opportunities within the local education system. The team's journey is supported by private-sector partners, including Harneys, Exness, and NAGICO. Prior to their departure, team members visited the sponsors' offices to demonstrate their robot's capabilities, discuss their technical preparations, and thank the corporate community for investing in youth development.
The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports expressed its full support for the students, encouraging the Virgin Islands community to rally behind Team BVI as they compete and engage in cultural exchange on the world stage.
Primary source: BVI Government