KATHMANDU, July 25: The Nepali National Debate Team has set a new national record at the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) by advancing into the knockout rounds and reaching the Round of 16 for the first time.

The Team ended their historic run at the 36th edition of the Championships being organized in Belgrade, Serbia having narrowly lost against Qatar in the Round of 16.

Team Nepal won five preliminary rounds out of the possible eight and secured 13 ballots across all preliminary rounds. With wins against Uganda, Argentina, Slovakia, Poland, and Japan, and losses against the Netherlands, Serbia, and England, Nepal then went on to defeat the UAE in the Round of 32, according to a press statement issued by Debate Network Nepal (DNN).

This historic performance meant that Team Nepal, previously ranked 40 in the World rankings for debate, finished as one of the best 16 countries out of the participating 68 countries at the World Championship, breaking all previous national records.

Composed of Bishwojeet Bista, Sadhabi Mahat, Sangya Pandey and Sujal Khadka as the Team members, the team is coached by former National Team member and DNN Board Member Pragyan Kumar Acharya. The DNN, the national debating body, facilitated the screening and participation. The team was supported by Himalayan Capital Pvt Ltd and Lumiere Education.

Nepal participated in the WSDC for the first time in 2010 in Qatar. Nepal then participated in 2011 in Scotland and then in 2015 in Singapore. Starting from the Germany WSDC in 2016, the DNN has been facilitating participation. This is the 12th participation of Nepal and the 9th iteration managed by the DNN.

The global tournament follows a three versus three WSDC format and each round lasts for an hour with a total of six main speeches and two reply speeches. Impromptu Points of Information (POIs) are exchanged during the main speeches and must be addressed by the speaker on the spot. 

The topics are referred to as motions and are considered to be proposed by the Government side in the Parliament. The motion for the Round of 16 was “This house regrets the narrative that money cannot buy happiness.” Out of the three judges, the Chair Judge voted in favor of Nepal, but that was not enough for Opposition Nepal to advance to the quarter-finals.

Prior to their departure to Serbia, the DNN had organized a Send-Off Ceremony for the Team at which the Team showcased a friendly debate against the 2023 Team among the debate community members, parents, and well-wishers. Following the debate, members of last year’s team, Alisha Ghimire, Abhinav Kumal, and Suyog Bardan Acharya, handed over the jerseys to the current Team, marking the send-off.

The DNN plans to organize the 11th edition of Maha Kumbha - the National Schools Debating Championship - in August this year to initiate the screening process for next year’s national team to represent the country at the Panama World Championship. Students up to Grade 12 and recent graduates are eligible to participate. The top 50 speakers at the tournament will be eligible to apply for the national camp.

National teams from Scotland and Bulgaria have advanced into the Grand Finals of WSDC 2024. The Grand Finals take place on Thursday. Final team and speaker rankings will be released following the finals.