7th International Universities Debating Championship kicks off

Doha: The 7th International Universities Debating Championship, organised by the QatarDebate Centre, commenced at the Qatar National Convention Centre...

Doha: The 7th International Universities Debating Championship, organised by the QatarDebate Centre, commenced at the Qatar National Convention Centre yesterday, drawing over 600 participants from more than 50 countries.

This event is one of the largest international Arabic debate competitions, bringing together students from various cultures and backgrounds to engage in rigorous intellectual exchanges.

The opening ceremony featured speeches from prominent figures in the debate community.

Abdulrahman Alsubaie, Programme Director at QatarDebate, in an exclusive interview with The Peninsula, emphasised  the educational goals of the championship. “This year, we didn’t have a specific theme for the championship. The main goal was to make sure that all debaters did their homework, their research, because they would be debating politics, health care, sports, and many different topics. That’s why we tried to push them to be up to date and aware of the global issues that we are facing,” he stated.

Alsubaie also highlighted the impact of the championship on fostering debate cultures worldwide, stressing: “We saw from this championship people who took the idea of QatarDebate and adopted it in their homes, where they established debate centres. They should continue what they’re doing; this is just the beginning for them. QatarDebate will keep supporting them even after the event.”