The State of Qatar has won the bronze medal and ranked third in the fifth edition of the Korea International Youth Olympiad (KIYO) 2020, which was held virtually and remotely by the World Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs Association (WWIEA) to raise awareness about innovation.

The competition took place from 20 September to 12 October 2020 with the participation of around 60 countries from all over the world.

The Qatari medal was secured by student Abdul Hadi Jaber Jallab, from Jassim bin Hamad Secondary School for Boys, for his research titled "The Effect of Silver Nanoparticles Socks on the Treatment of Diabetic Foot." The research was mentored by Mr. Sherif Bahgat Al-Sorory, research supervisor, and Mr. Thamer Bahgat Al-Sorory, research coordinator.

Student Harith Nashat from the same school also participated in the competition, which was organized by the Ministry in cooperation with the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).

The research was based on the substantial increase in the number of diabetes patients from 108 million people in 1980 to over 422 million people in 2017, according to the statistics released by the World Health Organization.

Poor blood circulation and peripheral neuropathy are common complications of diabetes. Moreover, the diabetic foot ulcers and resulting infections can potentially lead to amputations and life-threatening complications.

Therefore, the research presented the idea of producing socks impregnated with silver nitrate nanoparticles from a vegetable sources. Different concentrations of silver nitrate were mixed with watercress extract to produce silver nanoparticles. The socks impregnated with different concentrations of nanoparticles were placed on a 2-mm deep wound made on the foot of diabetic mice to check the time taken for healing.

The results of the experiment were promising; it demonstrated that silver nanoparticles are remarkably effective in healing the wounds of laboratory animals. The recovery rate has been proportional to the concentration of nanoparticles in use. Future work will be focused on testing the suitability of nano silver socks on the foot of actual diabetics patients.

Commenting on the win, Abdul Hadi Jaber Jallab expressed his happiness at claiming the bronze medal and honoring the State of Qatar in this international competition. He said: "In fact, there are not enough words to describe how great I feel. When I represent my homeland and win a medal in such a prestigious international event like this, that's indescribable!. I wanted to win the gold medal for my country but it didn't come off. Thanks God for everything."

On the other hand, Mr. Sharif Al-Sorory said that he felt extremely proud when Qatar was announced the winner of the of 3rd place and bronze medalist, thus surpassing countries that have a long-standing and major presence in this international competition.

The Korea International Youth Olympiad offers students of national and international schools and universities an opportunity to share their ideas inventions, innovations and intellectual property.

The objectives of the competition are: To foster global leaders through creativity, moral courage and teamwork; to foster talents that will lead the creative economy era by developing leadership based on personal strengths and talents; to broaden horizon as a global citizen through the exchange with students from all over the world; and to seek out young talents who will lead the future intellectual property society.