Top students of the world converge in Manila for the ‘Olympics of Debate’

MANILA, Philippines—Over 1,000 students from 224 universities in 41 nations have converged in Manila to participate in a nine-day competition that will determine the world’s best debaters.

The event, the 32^nd World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds), is hosted by De La Salle University and San Miguel Corporation, starts Tuesday (Dec. 27, 2011) and end Jan. 4, 2012.

Referred to as the “Olympics of Debating’’, the event will have nine elimination rounds to determine, from the 400 registered teams, the top 32 teams which will advance to the penultimate rounds in the British Parliamentary format.

There are separate categories for Public Speaking, English as a Second Language (ESL), and English as a Foreign Language (for countries whose nationals do not usually use English as medium of conversation).

Top judges and debaters in the world, to be headed by DLSU alumna Lucinda Teresa David and Cambridge alumnus debater Sam Block, will be flown in just for the tournament. Five more top debaters and judges representing the different regions will comprise the Adjudication Core to be assisted by La Salle Debate Society’s Julian Bautista and Kurt Gerard See.

In a statement, the organizers said the tournament is not just about debating as participants will be treated to nine nights of various social events aimed at discussion of social issues and cultural exchange. These social events will allow the participants not only to build ties with their contemporaries but also time to unwind after gruelling debates in the morning.

Tuesday and Wednesday have been reserved for registration and briefings. The official debate rounds start on Thursday, Dec. 29.

The elimination rounds will be held in De La Salle University, and the grand finals will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center on Jan. 3, 2012, and will be telecast live over NBN 4.

For more information, you can visit the tournament site at www.dlsuworlds.com.