No water, no bread! A team from Serbia who wanted to immigrate fromSouth Africa to Botswana was - despite valid visas - defeated late last night by African bureaucracy, as Manos Moschopolous from Greece reported to Achte Minute. No drinks and food available at first for the Serbs around Milan Vignjevic, ESL quarterfinalist at the previous Worlds and co-convenor of the Belgrade Open 2011. Meanwhile, the OrgComm of Botswana Worlds talked to the Serbs, made food and drinks available and will help with all obstacles on early Tuesday morning, Manos released. Isabelle Loewe, Jens Henning Fischer and Henrik Maedler faced similar ...

We've got mail! Florian Umscheid and Moritz Kirchner from Wortgefechte Potsdam already have arrived at Worlds 2011 in  Gaborone, Botswana. The two German debaters briefly revealed their first impressions of Africa to Achte Minute. ...

Let’s get ready to rumble – the 31st World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds) are about to start. From 27 December to 4 January Worlds 2011 are to be held in Gaborone, Botswana. Numerous debaters from VDCH countries change to the international debate circuit to compete with more than 300 teams from all over the world for the title of world debate champion. Nine days, that makes nine preliminary rounds plus various final rounds in three categories: Main break, ESL and EFL. The main break is de jure the category for all speakers, de facto for native speakers of English, ...

Achte Minute is your reliable source on the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds) in Botswana's capital Gaborone. As usual since this year’s Euros in Amsterdam, Achte Minute is going to fulfill this task in English as well as in German. Your local correspondent in Gaborone is Jens Henning Fischer – he reports the latest and most interesting for participants and those at home: breaks, stories, interviews. If you want your stories and reports published on Achte Minute, please convey them to Jens or send an e-mail directly to achteminute[at]vdch.de. In addition to Achte Minute you might want to consult other ...

The Botswana Worlds are right ahead of us, when next year's Manila Worlds already show up at the horizon – the chef adjudicators of the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds) 2012, Sam Block and Lucinda David, have assigned their DCAs: Cormac Early, Tim Mooney, Masako Suzuki and Art Ward. Cormac Early is a member of the Harvard Speech and Parliamentary Debate Society and spoke in finals at numerous debate tournaments in the USA and Great Britain such as the Oxford IV. Among other competitions, Cormac was runner-up to Worlds in Koç, Turkey, this year and in Cork, Ireland, in ...

The day of reckoning is near - on New Year's Day, the WUDC Council is going to sit in Gaborone, Botswana, and decide over who will be hosting the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC, or Worlds) in 2013. So far, two candidates from Europe bid for Worlds 2013: Berlin and Zagreb. The OrgComm from Berlin Debating Union (BDU) started their PR tour in mid-November. Therefore, they made a video that shows the strong will of Berlin for peaceful freedom and her inhabitants' penchant for big words such as in JFK's "Ich bin ein Berliner." According to the video, when it comes ...

Show your judging skills - judges at this year's World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC, or Worlds) in Botswana have to do an adjudication test today! A sample of the adjudication test may be watched on Botswana Worlds website. The real test has to be done virtually as well. The motion of the adjudication test reads "This house supports the trade with organs for profit." The test is compuslory for everyone judging at Worlds in Gaborone. Those who will not do the test until today will be regarded as "unreliable judges", as is reported in an e-mail from the chief adjudicators' ...

Shortly before the World Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds) 2011 start in Gaborone - some very early birds have already travelled to southern Africa - the convenors ask to get it over with the last technicalities. Therefore, read the survival guide available on the Botswana Worlds 2011 website. What is it you need to know? Well, bring sun screen, ethernet wire, insect repellent, electrical adaptors and other things you might not be able to live without during your ten-day stay in Botswana's capital. Another requirement is to do the adjudication test which will be held online on www.botswanaworlds.com from 18 December. ...

You want to become a deputy chief adjudicator at World Universities Debating Championhips (WUDC a.k.a. Worlds) 2012 in Manila, Philippines? Good for you, the deadline for application has been extended until 13 December 2010. On the Manila Worlds website, you find an application form. Please send that and your CV to the chief adjudicators Sam Block and Lucinda David via sam.block[at]dlsuworlds.com and lucinda.david[at]dlsuworlds.com respectively. You may supply them with your docs until 20. December, but make sure you express your intend to apply beforehand. Since 1981, debaters from all over the world have been competing at the World Universities Debating ...

Chief adjudicators of the Berlin bid for Worlds 2013 are now announced: Sharmila Parmanand and Doug Cochran will be in charge of the motions of the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC a.k.a. Worlds) 2013 in Berlin as is reported by Patrick Ehmann, president of the Berlin Debating Union. Both Sharmila and Doug have gained a lot of experience on the international debating circuit: Sharmila, a political scientist from Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines, was octo-finalist at Dublin Worlds 2007. At this year's Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, she was deputy chief adjudicator. The "Australs" see themselves as one ...

Competition for Berlin: The Croatian capital Zagreb bids for the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC, a.k.a. Worlds) 2013. The organizational committee under the aegis of Petar Bezjak advertises their unlimited team cap on their homepage. And debaters will be delighted to see that the Croatians already announced their experienced chief adjudicator: Jonathan Leader Maynard, just recently chief adjudicator of this year’s Euros in Amsterdam, on top of that two-times Worlds finalist (Koç 2010 and Cork 2009) plus EUDC champion (Newcastle 2009). Jonathan promises: “I believe it is vital to do a lot of work to ensure that motions are fair ...

Way ahead, but already we have news from Worlds 2012 in Manila: Applications wanted for deputy chief adjudicators (DCA)! The chief adjudicators of next year’s World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC a.k.a. Worlds) in Manila, Philippines, have just announced that the application process for the office of deputy chief adjudicators is open. Sam Block (best speaker at WUDC 2008 and at EUDC 2007) and Lucinda David (WUDC semi-finalist ESL) emphasize that the DCAs are “key parts of the adjudication team, and contribute to the effort of running the debating side of the tournament.” Responsibilities include the selection of motions, ranking of ...

To celebrate the date of 50 days until the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC a.k.a. Worlds) start the organizing committee held a dinner in early November that was addressed by the Attorney General of Botswana and Advocate George Bizos, the lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela during his Apartheid-era trial. While Worlds financial officer Taylor Tebogo Mogotsi admitted that they still face some major needs, convenor Justice Motlhabani is sure that after all the obstacles they have already overcome they will also manage that. Up to date, 333 teams have registered for WUDC in Gaborone, Botswana – that’s over 100 more than the ...

Together with his club mates John Eltringham and Cloud Ramasendaran, Patrick Ehmann, president of the Berlin Debating Union (BDU) has travelled to England for the Oxford IV this weekend. On his agenda: Of course taking part in the most prestigious and biggest debating competition in Europe – besides Euros. But much more important: Patrick and his companions are going to shake lots of hands since they just started their PR tour across Europe to advertise their bid for the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC a.k.a. Worlds) 2013. To gain a broad majority for their project, they chose to start in ...

The Berlin Debating Union (BDU) has made a decision: They want to bring the Worlds to Germany! On Saturday, Patrick Ehmann, John Eltringham and Cloud Ramasendaran are going to present their bid for convening the World Universities Debating Championships at the Oxford IV. The support of VDCH, the Association of Debating Societies at Universities, facilitated the decision of Berlin Debating Union: “Only because we know we have the German debating circuit to support us we dare to do this,” BDU president Patrick admits. He is even more delighted to have other German debaters at the Oxford IV to back BDU’s presentation ...

Less than four months until the worldwide debating circuit assembles in Gaborone, Botswana for the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC, a.k.a. Worlds) 2011 from 27 December 2010 until 4 January 2011! But before you open your new textbooks and work on your Setswana, the official language besides English, stop and check the technicalities. You need to make sure you have made your final payments. The conveners point out that banks charge a fee up to 25 US-Dollars for international wire transfer. Those who forgot about that fee may pay cash or with a check during physical check-in in Gaborone in ...

This year’s World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC) take place in Botswana’s capital Gaborone. The conveners announced the second stage of registration to start on Monday, 12 July. This requires the confirmation of spots for all participants. A deposit of 150 US-Dollar per participant, be it speakers or adjudicators, has to posted to the WUDC bank account which has been updated just recently. Chief Adjudicator Logandran Balavijendran emphasizes that all rules on registration will be carried out strictly and consequently, i.e. if deposits are not paid by 21 July 2010 you will lose your granted ...

While by now, we may have gotten used to Vuvuzelas during the football world cup, Africa is already gearing up for another large event: The World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC) in Botswana! The Chief Adjudicators around Logandran Balavijendran want to guarantee that the judges pool meets the highest standards and therefore pledge special financial assistance for sixty judges from Africa and the rest of the world. Adjuticators who receive the assistance are exempt from participation fees. They will also be reimbursed up to USD 1,000 in travel costs. Conditions for assistance are previous WUDC participation (as speaker or adjudicator) as well as ...

Nicht nur der Fußball bewegt Afrika, auch das Debattieren – es gibt Neuigkeiten zu den Anmeldungen für die World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC) aus Botsuana: In nur 94 Sekunden haben sich 300 Teams angemeldet. (Die Anmeldung war am Montag, 21. Juni, eröffnet worden.) Moment, denkt Ihr, das Teamcap beläuft sich doch auf 352 Teams! Richtig, die übrigen 52 Plätze sollen sicherstellen, dass erstens jede Nation, die schon bei den vorherigen Worlds teilgenommen hat, wieder dabei sein kann, und dass zweitens auch Teams aus Ländern mit eher langsamem Internet-Zugang einen Startplatz ergattern können. Einige VDCH-Clubs haben sich bereits ihre Startplätze bei den ...

Afrika ist en vogue: Nicht nur die Fußballer, auch die Debattierer aus aller Welt zieht es auf den Kontinent zur Weltmeisterschaft. Die World Universities Debating Championship 2011 wird über den Jahreswechsel in Südafrikas Nachbarland Botsuana ausgetragen. Anmeldung am 21. Juni Die Anmeldung für die Großveranstaltung eröffnet am Montag, 21. Juni um 8 Uhr MESZ. Theoretisch ist die Anmeldung bis 5. Juli möglich, es ist jedoch damit zu rechnen, dass die Teamslots binnen kürzester Zeit gefüllt sein werden: Stellt Euch Eure Wecker lieber schonmal, um pünktlich am 21. Juni frühmorgens online zu sein. Alles rund um das Registrierungsverfahren gibt es auf der WUDC-2011-Seite ...

Der Debattierclub Greifswald hat seine Internetseite up to date gebracht und sowohl über die Weltmeisterschaft (WUDC) als auch über die ZEIT DEBATTE Stuttgart kurze Berichte veröffentlicht.

Der Debattierklub Wien hat einen Bericht über die Debattierweltmeisterschaft aus österreichischer Sicht veröffentlicht.

Take me to Manila! That is the slogan of the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds) that are going to be hosted by De La Salle University of Manila, Philippines from December 27 to January 4. Chief adjudicators are Sam Block and Lucinda David, their deputies are Joe Roussos, Cormac Early, Tim Mooney, Masako Suzuki and Art Ward. More details on the CAs maybe found on Achte Minute. Facts: World Universities Deabting Championships Manila, Philippines Dezember 27, 2011 to Januar 4, 2012 Registration fees 385 Euros BPS, English Nine prelims Adjudication team: Sam Block, Lucinda David, Joe Roussos, Cormac Early, Tim Mooney, Masako Suzuki, Art Ward Website: www.dlsuworlds.com Since 1981, ...