NZ Schools Debating Team off to World Champs

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:
PR: NZ Schools Debating Team off to World Champs
Date:
Fri, 5 Feb 2010 12:10:43 +1300
From:
Christopher Bishop
To:
undisclosed-recipients:;

NZ Schools Debating Team off to World Champs

For immediate release

The five best secondary school debaters in New Zealand – the Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools' Debating Team – leave New Zealand today to attend the 2010 World Schools’ Debating Championships in Doha, Qatar.

New Zealand is the defending champion after winning the title in Athens a year ago, defeating England in the Grand Final.

The five person Russell McVeagh New Zealand Team is captained by Maria English (Samuel Marsden Collegiate School) and also comprises Jasmin Moran (Chilton St James School), Josh Baxter (Auckland Grammar School), Nick Cross (Scots College) and Aria Newfield (St Cuthbert’s College).
The team is coached by Clodagh O’Connor-McKenna, a champion university debater.

Christopher Bishop of the New Zealand Schools Debating Council said New Zealand had a great chance of defending its title as World Champions

“The team has spent weeks preparing for the tournament and we’re they’ll do New Zealand proud”, he said.

In the preliminary rounds starting on February 10, New Zealand will debate the United States, Australia, Israel, Nigeria, Slovakia, Estonia, United Arab Emirates, and Romania, on topics ranging from whether every country has the right to nuclear weapons or whether terrorist suspects should have a right to a trial in civilian courts.

Four rounds are impromptu debates where the topic is given to the teams only an hour before the debate begins.

After the eight preliminary rounds the tournament moves into a knock-out phase, beginning with octo-finals.

The World Schools' Debating Championships, a global competition for high school debaters, has been held each year since 1988. This year's tournament involves 56 teams, including England, Scotland, India, Pakistan, the USA, South Africa, South Korea, and Japan. New Zealand has won the tournament four times since 1988 (in 1991, 1992, 1995 and 2009), were runners-up in 2008, and hosted the competition in 1994.

ends

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