By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter
The second International Universities Arabic Debate Championship will start from today with the participation of 44 universities from 27 countries in Doha.
Organised by QatarDebate Centre, the four day tournament will be held at the Qatar National Convention Centre. Some non-Arabic speaking Western countries are also participating in the competition for the first time.
Speaking to Gulf Times, the executive director of QatarDebate Centre Dr Hayat Abdullah Maarafi said that the championship was an important venue for the exchange of views and getting introduced to new acquaintances in debate and dialogue.
She explained: “The motto for this year’s championship is ‘An Arabic Ceremonial of Debate and Dialogue’ which reflects the central significance of this championship as a meeting venue for self discovery, establishing connections and exchanging opinions. It also serves the purpose of reviving Arabic language and promoting the art of debate at global levels.”
Another official of the communication department of QatarDebate Centre said that all the Arab countries except Syria are taking part in the tournament. He said: “Other than the Arab countries six more countries are participating in the competition. They include the USA, the UK, Australia, Canada, Malaysia and Turkey. It is a greatly joyous moment for QatarDebate centre to welcome these countries for an Arabic debate tournament.”
Two teams are participating from Qatar in the competition. They are Qatar University as well as the Qatar military college. The finals will be held on Wednesday. While most of the countries are represented by one team, some of the countries such as Egypt, Oman, Somalia, the UAE and Tunisia have sent two teams each.
Around 250 debaters and coaches are expected to take part in the competition. The inaugural universities Arabic debate was held in 2011. Malaysia was the winner of the first tournament. QatarDebate had conducted a series of activities for the schools and universities in preparation of the competition.