Paraguay’s team “The Eagles Tech” are bringing home the fourth place trophy in The Robot Performance Award, all the way from South Africa! The team from Liberty School in San Lorenzo, near Asunción, achieved this incredible milestone for Paraguay at the First Lego League Open Africa Championship 2025 event in Cape Town.
In the Robot Game, in which everything is made of legos, teams design and programme a Lego robot using Lego Education kits to tackle up to 15 missions inspired by real-world ocean challenges on a themed field. These include tasks such as restoring coral reefs, raising a shipwreck’s mast, tracking sea creatures, and delivering underwater samples to a research vessel.
Referees closely monitor the matches and evaluate teams not only on performance but also on gracious professionalism, a core value of the competition.
“Three days of fellowship”
“We enjoyed three days of pure fellowship and hard work”, said Emile Candia, one of the Eagles Tech team’s coaches that went to South Africa with the 9 kids from Liberty School. “It was a unique experience that helped us grow. We also had the opportunity to meet teams from all around the world and to exchange ideas with them.”
The South African event brought together 80 teams from 42 different countries. The tournament was structured to evaluate teams across four areas: core values, innovation project, robot design, and robot game. Each component assesses distinct skills, from teamwork and problem-solving to technical design and programming.
“During the final match, some parts of the robot fell apart, but the team impressively reassembled it in a remarkably short time,” commented Emile. “Thanks to how quickly and efficiently they faced the challenge, they delivered an outstanding performance – finishing just 30 points behind first place.” For reference, the maximum score is 620 points.
First Lego League
The First Lego League is a global educational initiative that organises both national and international competitions, aiming to introduce children to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in an engaging and practical way. Young participants take part in hands-on challenges using Lego-based robotics, while also learning programming skills. More than 679,000 students aged between 4 and 16 from 110 countries around the world have taken part in official tournaments.
The Eagles Tech
The Eagles Tech began as a student initiative within Liberty School of Education, where robotics is part of the curriculum. With ten students, aged between 9 and 16, the team has since taken part in three competitions: two national and one international. On their first tournament they earned the Rising Star Award for an outstanding debut. On their next competition they secured the title of national vice-champions in the First Lego League Paraguay – an accomplishment that earned them their place at the tournament in South Africa.
What’s next for Eagles Tech?
“We are already preparing for the next season and extremely motivated and confident that all the insights we gained during our participation will help us aim even higher next time. We’re eagerly looking forward to the official launch of the new season in early August,” Emile concluded.
The journey of Eagles Tech, and Paraguay’s presence on the global stage, is only just beginning. There is still much to learn, but one thing is certain: Eagles Tech not only rose to the challenge, they also proved themselves as a team of excellence. In doing so, they proudly represented their country and positioned Paraguay among the top contenders in the international arena.
For more information, follow Liberty School on Instagram, and First Lego League on Instagram.
