Under the patronage of Her Excellency Sheikha Hind Bint Hamad Al Thani 3rd International Universities Arabic Debating Championship kicks off on April 26th

Under the patronage of Her Excellency Sheikha Hind Bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairman of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development, QatarDebate, a member of Qatar Foundation, will organise the 3^rd International Universities Arabic Debating Championship from  26 to 29 April 2015.

The four-day event at Qatar National Convention Centre supports the mission of Qatar Foundation to unlock human potential by fostering a culture of discussion and debate, helping shape the global citizens of the future and create intellectual leaders of tomorrow.

There will be 67 teams representing 33 Arab and non-Arab countries competing in the Championship, which, unlike the 2011 and 2013 championships, will feature teams from non-Arab speaking universities from Australia, India, Pakistan, Brunei, Malaysia, France, the United States, Poland, China, Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, and Germany.

The third edition of the championship was announced during a press conference held by QatarDebate today. In attendance was QatarDebate Executive Director, Dr. Hayat Abdullah Maarafi; Event Manager at QatarDebate, Mr. Jamal Al Baker; Communications Manager at QatarDebate, Mr. Ali Sultan Al Muftah; and Head of the QatarDebate Arabic Programme, Mrs. Faizeh Abdelrazeq.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Ali Al Muftah praised the media’s contribution in writing about  QatarDebate’s vision, which seeks to spread the culture of debate and dialogue in the Arab region and internationally.

Dr. Hayat Abdullah Maarafi, Executive Director at QatarDebate, stated: “We are pleased to announce that QatarDebate, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development, is organising the 3rd International Universities Arabic Debating Championship with a remarkable international participation.”  Dr. Maarafi confirmed in her speech that the championship aims to spread the art of debate, equipping students with an important educational tool, and encouraging them to practice critical thinking and research, which will enhance their leadership and linguistic skills. 

Mr. Ali Sultan Al Muftah, Communications Manager at QatarDebate, extended an invitation to reporters to visit the Media Centre during the championship to cover the daily press conference for Arab and non-Arab speaking teams in addition to coaches and judges. Mr. Al Muftah acknowledged the close collaboration between QatarDebate and the media, and extended his gratitude to journalists covering the championship.

On the latest preparations, Mr. Jamal Al-Baker, Event Manager at QatarDebate, noted: “All major preparations for the championship have been made, and we are currently applying the final touches and allocating tasks and responsibilities among team members during the championship.”

Ms. Faizeh Abdul Razzak, Head of the QatarDebate Arabic Programme, noted that the championship relies on judges from participating countries, who have been trained via workshops organised by QatarDebate, to help develop their coaching skills and to promote their ability to judge international debates in accordance with QatarDebate’s standards and regulations.

Mr. Abdulrahman Al Subaie, QatarDebate Education Projects Specialist, also announced a social media competition sponsored by Ispot that targets Qatar Debate’s fans on different platforms and will be held from April 20th to April 29th. On this note Mr. Al Subaie thanked Ispot for sponsoring the competition and their eagerness to support students through such initiatives.