Panaji: Five school students from Goa have been selected to represent India at the FIRST Global Challenge 2026, an international robotics competition to be held in Incheon, Republic of Korea, from Oct 7 to 10.The competition brings together teams from countries across the world, with each nation fielding one team to design, build and program a robot based on a global challenge theme.The official Team India comprises Sparsh Swapnesh Verlekar, Dhruv Samir Salgaonkar and Soham Mahesh Redkar from Saraswat Vidyalaya, Mapusa; Avaneesh Devendra Phadte from Mushtifund High School, Cujira; and Anam Raza from Poddar International School, Old Goa.The 2026 challenge, themed “Igniting Innovation,” focuses on developing technological solutions to reduce the risk and impact of fires while promoting environmental resilience.Over the coming months, the students will design, build, program and test their competition robot before travelling to South Korea. Besides competing in the robotics challenge, they will also serve as cultural ambassadors for India, engaging with participants from around the world. The team will be mentored by Anay Kamat and Saieesh Gandhi throughout its preparation for the global event.
