Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar Debate, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, in collaboration with the Abbasi Center for Islamic Studies at Stanford University, concluded the third edition of the US Universities Arabic Debating Championship, with the participation of 40 teams.
The championship, which saw the participation of 16 new universities for the first time, aimed to build partnerships with prestigious universities known for their scientific and cultural advancement and openness worldwide, and to create a supportive environment for coexistence, especially with 250 debaters from different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds who are united by the language of dialogue and debate.
At the closing ceremony of the championship, the Outreach Programs Manager at Qatar Debates, Abdulrahman Al-Subaie, praised this third extraordinary meeting with partners in the US before Qatar hosts the 2022 World Cup.
Al-Subaie said: “We came to you from Qatar, where the 2022 World Cup matches will commence, carrying a torch that we lit three years ago, and now we are lighting it again, travelling between the most prestigious universities.
“In a world where uncertainty prevails, and the voice of fanaticism and weaponry is loud, the voice of reason and logic must be louder to put an end to this systematic destruction of human beings and stone.”
He expressed his happiness to see young people discussing common global issues in Arabic on American soil.
Addressing the debaters he said: “You are the knights of the future and we have today in the US hundreds of young debaters, dozens of trainers and judges, and thousands of believers in this effort and its importance. Thanks to all of them, we are sure to see championships and events in the near future organized by these universities without our full sponsorship, and this is our great success.”
Participants of the first cohort of the Qatar Debate Fellowship Program are expert researchers at Stanford University
Duke University team wins debating championship
Duke University’s team bagged the championship title at the third US Universities Arabic Debating Championship beating Harvard team. They competed for the championship in the debate on “This Council believes that the fight against climate change should include international action against sovereign states that allow environmental violations to act directly or negligently”.
Pre-tournament training workshops
Qatar Debate’s Ambassador Mohammed Al-Lakhn Al-Marri presented an introductory workshop to all participants as a reminder of the rules of the tournament, including the rules of conduct and competition, the basics of debate and answering their questions and concerns. The second workshop was presented by QD trainer Saad Al-Assad for the judges related to all aspects of the competition.
