Second year law student, Timothy told us more about the team’s experiences in competing in such a large and complex competition.

Held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sebastian Curtis and I represented the Bristol Debating Union in competing at the World Universities Debating Championship 2019. The competition was well-attended, with approximately 270 teams and 250 judges from around the world. It was a truly fascinating and eye-opening experience.

The format of the tournament was the renowned British Parliamentary style of debating, of which four teams compete against each other in a single round. Each team was only given fifteen minutes of preparation time prior to the actual debate, and each of the speakers had to give a seven-minute speech. This truly tested our ability to spontaneously formulate arguments and coherent cases, and we also had to duly consider how to articulate our ideas within the short timeframe.

There were nine rounds in total across the span of three days, and the debate motions were wide-ranging, covering an array of disciplines. The motions for instance required us to consider the legality of breaking up Afrikaaner’s enclaves in South Africa, the advent of a corporate investment culture, and the implication of the United States military operation in Syria. In addition, we also debated philosophically abstract motions like whether romantic love should be the primary source of fulfilment in a person’s life. The motions were all intellectually-stimulating, and having also seen other teams debate the motions, it broadened our insights into a variety of subject matters.

After the nine rounds of debate, we were merely one team point away from advancing to the Partial Double Octo-Finals in the World Championship. Nonetheless, the competition was overall an exceedingly rewarding experience. What we also enjoyed most was making friends with debaters from all around the world. We have faced and met teams from Inner Temple, Cambridge University, Durham University as well as many more teams from Asia and Africa.

The preparation we underwent for the World’s Championship was extensive and demanding, and we would not have been able to do so without the support from fellow debaters in the Bristol Debating Union. This experience has strengthened our bonds and would only further motivate us to develop our advocacy skills further.