BVIS Hanoi team was highly praised by international judges and emerged victorious in the Hanoi Open – Vietnam Schools' Debating Championship 2017.
On October 29th, the grand final of Hanoi Open – Vietnam Schools' Debating Championship 2017 was held at The Olympia School. The final round saw the competition between DHM team comprising three students from Hanoi Amsterdam High School and BVIS team comprising four students from British Vietnamese International School Hanoi. The two teams defeated 34 other teams from many provinces to make it to the grand final.
As proposition on the motion “Only native-born citizens should be allowed to represent their country in international sports events”, BVIS team successfully persuaded 4 over 7 judges from 6 nations and won the debate.
BVIS team (black suit) brought out strong proofs to support their proposition that athletes should compete for the honour of their motherland.
After the team discussion, Ho Bao Anh, BVIS team member presented four theses in English to support his team’s viewpoint. First, they claimed that athletes would become the pride of their nation and receive the best support from the society if they represent their motherland.
Secondly, this will prevent selling and buying athletes, thus promote a fair playground. “In 2000, Qatar bought an entire weightlifting team from Bulgaria. In this case, it is fair enough to say their achievement came mainly from the abundant financial resource”, Bao Anh said.
Thirdly, allowing only native-born citizens to represent their country in international sport events will create a more competitive sports environment in the country. Then, only when athletes strive their best, they can earn a place at international competitions. In addition, this move will help enhance the quality of sport in the country. “Instead of spending money on buying athletes, countries can invest in facilities and training equipment," the team said.
When their rival argued that athletes have the right to choose the nation they represent and best athletes deserve a chance to compete in international sports events as this boosters the competitiveness of the international sport, BVIS team instantly put forward convincing arguments.
"We respect each person's rights but let’s imagine American and Brazilian hockey teams are competing when all players are Canadian, does this make sense and what is the meaning of international sport then? ", a BVIS team member questioned.
With solid theses and authentic examples, BVIS Hanoi became the winner and was awarded 10 million VND. Besides, each team member was offered a scholarship to attend an English course being worth over 30 million, along with the certificate and the championship cup.
Also, within the framework of the competition, the judges awarded certificates of merit to 20 outstanding students among 132 students. These students have the opportunity to be selected for the World Schools Debating Championship 2018 to be held in Croatia.
Mr. Chu Xuan Dung, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Education and Training, paid a compliment to all students taking part in the Hanoi Open – Vietnam Schools Debating Championship first held ever. “The competition has promoted English-language learning and helped students develop their critical thinking" Dung said, adding that the championship will continue to be held in the coming years to hone debating skills among Vietnamese students.
The Hanoi Open – Vietnam Schools Debating Championship was held for the first time on October 28-29 by The Olympia School and The Global Citizen (Singapore). The championship attracted 34 teams from five provinces of Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City and Hung Yen.
The championship is based on the format of the World Schools Debating Championship (“WSDC”) with English as the only language of instruction. The motions of the preliminary round and the final round are “All cultural treasures should be returned to the country of origin” and “Only native-born citizens should be allowed to represent their country in international sport events” respectively.
