The first ever World Online Debating Championship enters the quarter final stage this week and like all the best tournaments has been peppered with surprise knockouts – in this case the elimination of teams representing powerhouse countries such as the USA, Scotland and India. Created by Debatewise.com - the leading online debating organisation in association with the International Debate Education Association (idea) – the leading offline debating organisation, the competition pits 25 national teams from virtually every corner of the globe against each other in debating the big issues facing the world today. The quarter final sees South Africa drawn against Lithuania, England against Venezuela, Latvia against South Korea and Mexico against Estonia.
“One of the most interesting and positive aspects of the championship is that countries who are miles apart geographically, culturally and politically, and some of whom may be under represented on the world stage, are able to battle it out face to face, or in this case keyboard to keyboard, on the level playing field of the internet.“ says Debatewise.com founder David Crane. “A debate between South Korea and Latvia is not an everyday occurrence, and allows readers and debaters to develop a deeper understanding of another country’s stance on important issues, Furthermore, the championship has allowed countries the opportunity to shake off stereotypes. Venezuela, for example, has shown that, despite internal concerns about the views of President Hugo Chavez on freedom of speech, the opportunity and willingness to debate is strong and demonstrates that, perhaps surprisingly, the country has one of the highest literacy rates in South America.”
The subjects for debate are decided by the chief adjudicator Neill Harvey-Smith and endeavor to address issues that have particular resonance in participating countries. Pakistan, for example, faced Chile on whether the media should be banned from reporting on hostage taking, while Indonesia, facing Mexico, debated that poorer countries should abandon free trade agreements. The feedback from participants has been highly positive. “I think that WODC is a great experience. I feel that this tournament has improved my debating skills greatly” enthuses Latvian team member, Nikita. A sentiment echoed by USA team captain Kory Pace, “The tournament was intellectually engaging and brought some interesting perspectives from around the world.”
The panel of judges assembled for the WODC by Harvey-Smith, former head of the World Universities Debating Council, has been described as the best ever compiled for a debating competition and includes two former World Champions and the current European Champion and a World Masters finalist 2009. It is perhaps Harvey-Smith who best summarises the value of an event such as the WODC “Whatever the reason for participants entering the Championships, whether for debating practice, for fun or to win, there can be little doubt that in these times of unpopular wars and financial meltdown the need for debate is as strong as it will ever be. The WODC provides a much-needed and valuable platform for such debate.”
To register your interest as a participant in the World Online Debating Championships 2010 or to view completed or current debates, please visit: www.debatewise.com/
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