Belgrade, the “white city”, will probably still be white from snow in February when the Belgrade Open 2011 will be held from 25 to 27 February. Language of debate is English, the format is British Parliamentary Style (BPS). Registration is open from 5 January. Please register online on the homepage of the Belgrade Open 2011. Nota bene: The n-1 rule is applied for judges! The registration fee is 45 Euros per person and includes accommodation, meals and socials.

The convenors promise a CA team of eminent and experienced adjudicators: Steven Nolan, Marko Cirovic, Frederick Cowell, Lucinda David, Lewis Iwu, Isabelle Loewe and Manos Moschopoulos. Steven had been deputy chief adjudicator (DCA) of the Belgrade Open 2010 and will be DCA at Galway Euros 2011. Marko was ESL quarter finalist at this year’s Amsterdam Euros and will represent the local debating circuit on the CA team. Frederick was best speaker at Euros 2010 and was a Worlds finalist for two times already. Lewis is WUDC 2008 champion and won back then as a pupil the World Schools Debating Championships. Isabelle was ESL winner at Euros 2006 and deputy chief adjudicator at Euros 2008 in Tallinn. Additionally, she was chief adjudicator at numerous tournaments throughout Europe. Finally, Manos was co-convenor of the previous Belgrade Open and is a very successful speaker: He was best ESL speaker at Worlds 2010, finalist at Amsterdam Euros and ESL winner of London Australs 2010.

There will be five prelims, semis and final. The grand final will be staged at Belgrade’s National Parliament on Sunday night. Departure is scheduled for Monday morning. Every night, there will be another party for participants: “The good ol’ times party“ on Friday, “Clubbed to your 5th round party” on Saturday, and a “Farewell & do come back party” on Sunday.

The first Belgrade Open was staged in 2000, back then in the format of American Parliamentary Debate and in Serbo-Croatian. In 2002, the tournament was held in English for the first time and promoted by the International Debate Education Association. 2004 saw the Open held in American Parliamentary for the last time, before in 2008 the Belgrade Open was continued in BPS. This year, 52 teams from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia as well as from England, Greece, Hungary, Russia, Germany and from Turkey had flocked in to the Balkans.

apf / glx