Philippines bags first World Universities Debating Championship title

The Ateneo de Manila University has won this year’s World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) held in Madrid, Spain, bringing the Philippines its first feat for the international debating tournament.

The debating team from Ateneo, represented by BS Applied Mathematics students David Africa and Toby Leung, bested others from Bulgaria's Sofia University, Israel's Tel Aviv University, and Princeton University in the United States during the grand finals.

They debated over the philosophical belief Ubuntu “that asserts that people's identities should be shaped by, and their obligations should primarily owed to, their communities.”

The Ateneo team also beat other international institutions during the nine elimination rounds as well as in other break rounds.

In a Facebook post, Loyola Schools Vice President Maria Luz Vilches congratulated the Ateneo Debate Society, particularly Africa and Leung, for winning the WUDC 2023.

“A great way to start the New Year!” She said.

This year’s WUDC was conducted from December 27, 2022 to January 4, 2023. Last year’s champions came from the BRAC University in Bangladesh.

Hundreds of teams representing universities all over the world join the annual debating tournament which uses the British Parliamentary debate format. — LA, GMA Integrated News