WUDC 2014: ESL & EFL Knockout Brackets

ESL

1. Lund A
16. Belgrade C	1. Lund A
8. Babes-Bolyai B	8. Babes-Bolyai B
9. Zagreb B		1. Lund A
4. Babes-Bolyai A		4. Babes-Bolyai A
13. Tilbury A	4. Babes-Bolyai A
5. Ben-Gurion A	13. Tilbury A
12. Magdeburg A			CHAMPION
2. Berlin A			2. Berlin A
15. Kyung Hee A	2. Berlin A
7.  IBA-Dhaka A	10. IIUM B
10. IIUM B		2. Berlin A
3. Belgrade B		3. Belgrade B
14. IBA-Dhaka B	3. Belgrade B
6. RRIS A	6. RRIS A
11. Ewha EDIS A

EFL

1. Warsaw A
4. Kyoto B	1. Warsaw A
5. BLCU A	8. ITB A
8. ITB A		CHAMPION
2. Hitotsubashi A		8. ITB A
3. NES A	3. NES A
6. EKU Tubingen A	6. EKU Tubingen A
7. UGM A

Thessaloniki Wins WUDC 2016 Bid, Debating Comes Home to Greece

Debating is coming home.  Greece, the land where the method of dialectics was first introduced more than 2,400 years ago, will host the 2016 World Universities Debating Championship after a bid to hold the competition in the country's party capital of Thessaloniki decisively triumphed over a proposal from South Africa. The Greeks got 76 votes in the WUDC Council yesterday while their rival only collected 37.

After a string of organizational shortcomings in WUDC Chennai, the council put in place measures to prevent a repeat. There will be an audit on the preparations 3 to 6 months prior to the event and the committee must have a professionally accredited financial officer who can explain budgetary issues to the council. An aspect from WUDC 2014 that stays is the team allocation that considers the past breaking achievements of teams.

WUDC Thessaloniki promises to create a escrow account for adjudicator subsidies that will be controlled by the council and paid before debates begin. They have also uploaded their £500,000 plus budget that includes £50,000 for judge subsidies. The organizers, the Debate Society of Greece, also promise to hold training before and in between rounds for developing teams that will be led by WUDC 2013 champion Nita Rao.

The debates will mostly take place at the University of Macedonia, which is located only 3 km away on the same street from the main accommodation. The chief adjudicator is Manos Moschopoulos, a Greek debater formerly from Deree College who won the best EFL speaker award in WUDC 2010. His current deputies are WUDC 2013 best speaker Chris Bisset (Monash, Sydney) and WUDC 2007 ESL champion Tasneem Elias (IIU), who both have adjudicated in Indonesian tournaments before. Three more DCAs will be hired this year. Universitas Indonesia debater Boby Andika Ruitang will be a member of the language committee that will decide whether a debater is eligible for the ESL or EFL categories.

WUDC 2014: Open Knockout Bracket

  Pre-Octofinals                      Octofinals                 Quarterfinals           Semifinals                Final 
    

17. Monash B		1. Sydney B
32. BPP A		16. Imperial A	1. Sydney B
33. Melbourne B		17. Monash B	16. Imperial A
48. Otago B		48. Otago B		1. Sydney B
24. Yale A		8. Melbourne A		24. Yale A
25. Vic-Wellington A		9. Otago A	24. Yale A
40. Belgrade A		24. Yale A	25. Vic-Wellington A
41. HH-Toronto A		25. Vic- Wellington A			1. Sydney B
20. Birmingham A		4. Harvard A			4. Harvard A
29. Cambridge C		13. Sydney A	4. Harvard A
36. Queensland B		29. Cambridge C	13. Sydney A
45. Sydney C		45. Sydney C		4. Harvard A
21. Bates A		5. McGill A		5. McGill A
28. Monash C		12. LSE B	5. McGill A
37. UNSW A		28. Monash C	28. Monash C
44. Cape Town A		44. Cape Town A				CHAMPION
18. Oxford B		2. Cambridge A				4. Harvard A
31. Stanford A		15. Auckland A	15. Auckland A
34. Melbourne C		31. Stanford A	31. Stanford A
47. IIUM A		47. IIUM A		10. Cambridge B
23. Oxford C		7. Cape Town B		42. Oxford A
26. Ateneo A		10. Cambridge B	10. Cambridge B
39. Bates B		26. Ateneo A	42. Oxford A
42. Oxford A		42. Oxford A			10. Cambridge B
19. Cornell B		3. Monash A			27. Glasgow A
30. Yale B		14. St Andrews A	14. St Andrews A
35. Western A		30. Yale B	30. Yale B
46. Queensland A		35. Western A		14. St Andrews A
22. UNSW B		6. Canterbury A		27. Glasgow A
27. Glasgow A		11. ANU B	11. ANU B
38. IIT Bombay B		27. Glasgow A	27. Glasgow A
43. Western Australia A		38. IIT Bombay B

 

WUDC 2014: UGM, ITB Qualify for EFL Outrounds (EFL & ESL Break Lists)

#7EFL Universitas Gadjah Mada A (Amir Abdul Aziz & Nabila Aghniarizqa) and #8EFL Institut Teknologi Bandung A (Vicario Reinaldo & Fauzan Reza Maulana) became the only Indonesian teams that survived the preliminary stage of the 2014 World Universitits Debating Championships in Chennai. They qualified as English-as-Foreign Language (EFL) teams and their 12 points were enough to secure slots in the category's semifinal tomorrow. However, they are not the only surviving Indonesians. Stevensen Chen, a debater originally from Medan, will also debate in the EFL knockouts representing Japan's Hitotsubashi University.

Universitas Indonesia and Binus International teams are not eligible for the EFL knockouts because they are considered English-as-Second Language (ESL) squads. They failed to collect enough points to break into the tougher ESL category. See the differences between ESL and EFL along with the break lists for the restricted divisions below. Another EFL restriction is if an EFL debater has previously broken into the higher ESL category in any WUDC, s/he is considered as ESL even though she has never gone to an English speaking country. 

The ESL break
(<5 years speaking English as primary language, <5 years educated in English, <5 years of school age living in a country where English is a primary medium, <5 years employed in a country where English is a primary medium)

1. Lund University A (SWE) -- 17
2. Berlin Debating Union A (GER) -- 16
3. University of Belgrade B (SRB) -- 16
4. Babes-Bolyai University A (ROM) - 16
5. Ben-Gurion University A (ISR) - 16
6. Raphael Recanati International School A (ISR) -- 16
7. Institute of Business Administration, Dhaka University A (BLD) - 16
8. Babes Bolyai University B (ROM) -- 16
9. University of Zagreb A (CRO) -- 15
10. International Islamic University B (MAL) -- 15
11. Ewha University A (ROK) - 15
12. Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg A (GER) -- 15
13. Tilbury House, University of Cologne A (GER) -- 15
14. Institute of Business Administration, Dhaka University B (BLD) -- 15
15. Kyung Hee University A (ROK) -- 15
16. University of Belgrade C (SRB) -- 15

The EFL break

(<3 months of school age living in a country where English is a primary medium, <18 months living in a country where English is an official language, <6 months educated in a school with English as instruction language)

1. University of Warsaw A (POL) -- 15
2. Hitotsubashi University A (JPN) -- 14
3. New Economic School A (RUS) -- 14
4. University of Kyoto B (JPN) - 14
5. Beijing Language and Culture University (CHN) -- 13 
6. Eberhard Karls University Tubingen A (GER) -- 12 
7. Universitas Gadjah Mada A (INA) -- 12
8. Institut Teknologi Bandung A (INA) -- 12

WUDC 2014: Sydney Advance With Best Score Ever (Open Break)

University of Sydney B (Elle Jones & Chris Bisset) did not only break first into the knockouts of the 2014 World Universities Debating Championships. With 26 points after winning 8 out of 9 preliminary rounds and coming second in only one debate, they became the first team in the history of WUDC to score that high. Previous record holder University of Oxford A (Lewis Iwu & Samir Deger-Sen) hauled 25 points in WUDC 2008 Bangkok, which they eventually won.   

While the rest had thin margins between them, Sydney B were four points clear from their closest rival #2 University of Cambridge A (Ashish Kumar & Thomas Simpson). All teams that secured 18 points or more advanced along with 8 pairs that bagged 17. Among the 48 qualified teams, there are 3 from Asia -- #26 Ateneo de Manila University A (Allan Cabrera & Paulina Robles), #38 Indian Institute of Technology Bombay B (Souradip Sen & Ritvik Chauhan) and #47 International Islamic University A (Syed Saddiq & Mubarrat Wassey).

The top 16 teams go straight to the octofinals while #17-48 must battle it out in the pre-octos to fill up the remaining 16 slots. The main break list is as follows:

1. University of Sydney B (AUS) - 26
2. University of Cambridge A (ENG) - 22
3. Monash University A (AUS) - 21
4. Harvard University A (USA) - 21
5. McGill University A (CAN) - 21
6. University of Canterbury A (NZL) - 21
7. University of Cape Town B (SAF) - 21
8. University of Melbourne A (AUS) - 20
9. University of Otago A (NZL) - 20
10. University of Cambridge B (ENG) - 20
11. Australian National University B (AUS) - 20
12. London School of Economics B (ENG) - 20
13. University of Sydney A (AUS) - 19
14. University of St. Andrews A (SCO) - 19
15. University of Auckland A (NZL) - 19
16. Imperial College (ENG) - 19
17. Monash University B (AUS) - 19
18. University of Oxford B (ENG) - 19
19. Cornell University B (USA) - 19
20. University of Birmingham A (ENG) - 19
21. Bates College A (USA) - 19
22. University of New South Wales B (AUS) - 19
23. University of Oxford C (ENG) - 19
24. Yale University A (ENG) - 18
25. Victoria University of Wellington A (NZL) -18
26. Ateneo de Manila University A (PHL) - 18
27. University of Glasgow A (SCO) - 18
28. Monash University C (AUS) - 18
29. University of Cambridge C (ENG) - 18
30. Yale University B (USA) - 18
31. Stanford University A (USA) - 18
32. BPP University A (ENG) - 18
33. University of Melbourne B (AUS) - 18
34. University of Melbourne C (AUS) - 18
35. Western University A (CAN) - 18
36. University of Queensland B (AUS) - 18
37. University of New South Wales A (AUS) - 18
38. Indian Institute of Technology Bombay B (IND) - 18
39. Bates College B (USA) - 18
40. University of Belgrade A (SRB) - 18
41. Hart House, University of Toronto A (CAN) - 17
42. University of Oxford A (ENG) - 17
43. University of Western Australia A (AUS) - 17
44. University of Cape Town A (SAF) - 17
45. University of Sydney C (AUS) - 17
46. University of Queensland A (AUS) - 17
47. International Islamic University A (MAL) - 17
48. University of Otago B (NZL) - 17