BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS — Five young Virgin Islanders are preparing to represent the Territory on the international stage as Team BVI travels to Incheon, Republic of Korea, for the 2026 FIRST Global Challenge.
The team comprises Christopher Robinson, Nicholas Joseph, Stephon Jainauth, Caleb Stoutt and Ricardo Seebaran, who will compete in the international robotics competition from 7 to 10 October. Their participation marks the Virgin Islands’ fourth consecutive year competing in the FIRST Global Challenge.
The team is scheduled to depart the Territory on Friday, 2 October, ahead of the competition.
The FIRST Global Challenge is an Olympics-style international robotics competition that brings together high school-aged students from around the world to build and programme robots, compete and collaborate while developing solutions to global challenges through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
More than 190 national teams are expected to participate in this year’s competition.
The 2026 challenge, themed “Igniting Innovation,” focuses on wildfire prevention, mitigation and recovery. Teams will use creativity, engineering and strategic gameplay to navigate a simulated environment while exploring how technology can help reduce the risks and impacts of wildfires, protect communities and strengthen environmental resilience.
Building on Three Years of Progress
Team BVI enters this year’s competition following three consecutive years of improvement on the international robotics stage.
The Virgin Islands made its FIRST Global debut in Singapore in 2023, placing 143rd out of 191 teams.
In 2024, the Territory improved its standing to 111th out of 180 teams at the competition in Athens, Greece, marking a significant step forward for the developing robotics programme.
The Territory recorded its strongest performance to date at the 2025 FIRST Global Challenge in Panama, where Team BVI climbed to 42nd globally and ranked first among participating Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States countries.
The progression from 143rd to 111th and then 42nd globally reflects the continued development of robotics and coding within the Virgin Islands education system and the opportunities being created for students to develop and demonstrate their skills internationally.
The 2026 team will now look to build on that foundation as a new group of students takes on the responsibility of representing the Virgin Islands at one of the world’s largest international youth robotics competitions.
Support from the Community
Team BVI’s participation is supported through partnerships with the private sector and wider community.
The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports has acknowledged Harneys, Exness and NAGICOfor their support of Team BVI and their contribution to the continued development of robotics opportunities for students across the Territory.
Corporate partnerships remain an important part of the programme, helping to provide students with opportunities to compete internationally while gaining practical experience in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Ahead of their departure, members of Team BVI visited the offices of Harneys, Exness and NAGICO, where they met with representatives of the sponsoring organisations and demonstrated the robot they will take to competition in South Korea.
During the visits, the students showcased the robot’s capabilities, discussed their preparations and shared some of the work involved in designing, building and programming the machine.
The engagements also gave the students an opportunity to personally connect with and thank the organisations supporting their journey to the international stage.
As Team BVI prepares to travel to South Korea, the five students will carry forward the progress achieved by previous Virgin Islands teams while gaining valuable international experience through competition, collaboration and cultural exchange with students from around the world.
The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports has extended its best wishes to Team BVI and encouraged the Virgin Islands community to follow and support the students as they represent the Territory at the 2026 FIRST Global Challenge in Incheon, Republic of Korea, from 7 to 10 October.