Participation in international WRO competitions

We want to give as many children and young people as possible the opportunity to experience an international competition. That is why we try, whenever possible, to fully utilize the quotas available to us. As a volunteer organization, the resulting group sizes present certain challenges for us in terms of planning and execution. We therefore rely on your support in various areas.

The trip is being undertaken as an official delegation of WRO Switzerland to participate in an international competition. The delegation generally includes the participants, their coaches, the nominated international judges, and the delegation and tour leaders.

Additional accompanying persons may be included in the delegation in justified cases (e.g., a parent in cases where younger children have special needs). Since quotas are usually limited, we generally have to prioritize in such cases.

As with the other Science Olympiads, all traveling companions generally serve as volunteers. We therefore expect any additional accompanying persons to contribute to the WRO in an appropriate manner before, during, or after the trip, for example:

  • as a photographer, media coordinator, or social media manager on the trip
  • by taking on a role on the organizing committee of WRO Switzerland
  • as a referee or volunteer at the next Swiss final
  • in the form of other assignments, as agreed

We expect all participants to take part in the entire program of the trip, as both the local organizers and we have invested a great deal of time and financial resources to ensure you have a wonderful experience. Please also be aware that, depending on the destination, we may be visiting a different cultural context, which requires a certain degree of adaptation to local rules and customs.

Immediately after summer break, a mandatory online meeting will be held for the participating teams. The purpose of the meeting is to provide an initial briefing, allow the teams to get to know one another and exchange ideas, and plan how the more experienced teams can offer support to younger or less experienced teams.

In addition, we will organize another online briefing for coaches, referees, and chaperones a few weeks before the competition. This briefing is also mandatory.

Documents Required for Registration

To complete your binding registration, we require the following by the registration deadline (see the information sheet that qualified teams will receive at the Swiss finals):

  • The completed registration form with the necessary information for each person traveling with you. Please also note the restrictions listed under “Hotel Accommodations.”
  • For air travel, a clearly legible copy of the passport page showing the first and last name, date of birth, and machine-readable information for each person traveling.
  • The completed and signed “Informed Consent, Release, Indemnity, and Media Authorization Agreement” form for each person traveling with you.
  • The coach’s contact information in case you have any questions regarding registration.

The team’s coach, as listed in the registration for the Swiss Final, is responsible for registration. In the days following the Swiss Final, we will also send the coach a confirmation of qualification to be forwarded to the school. If a team is unable to participate in the international competition for which it has qualified, we ask that you notify us as soon as possible so that we can offer the opportunity to the next-ranked team, if applicable.

Hotel Accommodations

As a general rule, accommodations are in double rooms. Single and triple rooms are available only in limited numbers, if at all. When assigning rooms, we follow the rules of the Science Olympiad, provided that the individuals do not belong to the same family:

Team members—girls and boys—are generally accommodated in separate rooms. Adults (coaches and chaperones) are accommodated separately from the children and teenagers whenever possible; however, with the consent of all parties involved, chaperones and participants of the same gender may also share a room.

In order to make the most of the available rooms within these guidelines, we must be the ones to assign the rooms. While you may submit non-binding room assignment requests upon registration, we have limited ability to accommodate them for the reasons mentioned above. If you have special needs, please contact us in advance.

Miscellaneous

As a general rule, we cannot accommodate special requests for our trips— such as separate outbound or return trips or similar arrangements—as they entail a disproportionate amount of additional planning and coordination work. In justified cases (e.g., school commitments that cannot be rescheduled), exceptions may be made upon request.

The international rules of the World Robot Association apply to international competitions:
https://wro-association.org/competition/2026-season/. These may differ from those of the Swiss competitions (e.g., regarding random team pairings, scoring in borderline cases, FAQs). Please also note that an additional sub-task for the International Finals in Puerto Rico will be published in October in the RoboMission category.

Insurance is the responsibility of the participants. The teams are also responsible for their own entry formalities (valid travel documents, visas, entry requirements). We cannot assume any responsibility for these matters.

For us, the coach is the point of contact and the person primarily responsible for the team, including any accompanying adults. This also applies in the event of medical emergencies. It is therefore important that parents and coaches coordinate this in advance.

By registering, you confirm that you have read and agree to these terms and conditions.