A Taiwanese robotics team won four consecutive qualification matches and set the highest score of the day at the FIRST Tech Challenge Istanbul Premier Event in Turkey — all after having their competition equipment confiscated by customs.FTC Team 32760, VIS MARS, made up of students from VIS International Experimental Education, were the only team representing Taiwan at the competition, the school said in a statement, describing the event as one of the world’s premier high-school robotics contests.On Wednesday last week, the team’s competition robot, tools, spare parts and technical equipment were all seized by Turkish customs agents, as Taiwan is not a participant in the ATA Carnet international customs system, VIS said.
Members of VIS International Experimental Education’s FTC Team 32760, VIS MARS, pose for a photograph at the FIRST Tech Challenge Istanbul Premier Event in Istanbul, Turkey.
Photo courtesy of VIS International Experimental Education
For the next 72 hours, students, coaches and accompanying parents worked tirelessly across the Netherlands, Turkey and Greece, seeking every possible avenue to recover the equipment, the school said.However, customs authorities informed the team that the equipment could only be returned after they left the country, it said.
