Iranian High School Students First to Arrive in Washington, D.C. for International Robot Olympics at DAR Constitution Hall

U.S. Students Partnered with Team Iran after the Team’s Robot Kit Could not Be Shipped to Iran Due to U.S. Sanctions

For Immediate Release
July 11, 2017

Washington, D.C. –Today, a robotics team of Iranian high school students were the first to arrive in Washington, D.C. for the inaugural FIRST Global Challenge – an international robotics competition hosting one high school team from each of the nearly 160 participating nations coming together to compete in an event that aims to address the world’s most important issues.

Team Iran’s robot kit – a box containing robot parts provided by FIRST Global – was not approved for shipment to Iran due to sanctions on technology exports to the country, preventing them from assembling the robot they needed to compete. In turn, FIRST Global recruited a robotics team of American high school students called Gryphons exe from George C. Marshall high school in northern Virginia, who eagerly partnered with Team Iran to build and program their robot with the team’s direction over video conference.

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