Today's feature presents: The first speaker to be top of the tab at an EUDC in both categories as an ESL participant since 2001, Lucía Arce Cubas! In the interview Lucía told us about her origins, debating career and being ESL in the UK. ...

Kanat Nogoibayev and Chyngyz Ibraimov represent Kyrgyzstan for the first time in the history of EUDC. We spoke to them about their hopes for future EUDCs in Central Asia and what debating in a post-Soviet states is like. ...

Dhalia Alayassa, Tamara Abdel Lafit and Iman Sarj are students at the Alquds University and the An-Najah University. They are the first university students from Palestine to compete at the EUDC. Additionally, Weenta Mehari coaches Alquds University and Mariel Golden is the coach of An-Najah University. We interviewed them about Palestine joining the EUDC. ...

As announced on our international facebook page we planned doing an interview with the newly elected hosts of the EUDC 2018 in Novi Sad. Everything has happened rather quickly since the former hosts from Edinburgh declared their problems with hosting the EUDC 2018 and we wanted to give the community the opportunity to ask the questions they had in mind. So we ended up having a conference call with Jovan Petronijević, the convener, and Miriana Muntean, the logistics officer and asking them a bunch of question you guys had sent in.  ...

It’s been five years since the first WUDC in Germany took place. Teams from all over the world met in Berlin to determine the best debaters in the world. But how was it for the volunteers and organisers? Read more of their memories in the second part of our feature. Jens Fischer [caption id="attachment_33315" align="alignleft" width="198"] © Henrik Maedler[/caption] Being the tabmaster of a tournament the size of Berlin Worlds with around 1200 participants is a strange situation: You feel like you're in the centre of a hurricane around which a lot of drama is circling but actually your job is "only" to ...

It’s been five years since the first WUDC in Germany took place. Teams from all over the world met in Berlin to determine the best debaters in the world. But how was it for the volunteers and organisers? We have asked some witnesses about their memories.  Florian Umscheid [caption id="attachment_33284" align="alignright" width="400"] © Henrik Maedler[/caption] At Worlds 2013, I was Chief of Runners. The ballot handing happened analog back then which meant that the running-team had to hand out 100 ballots to 100 rooms in six or seven buildings of the TU (Technical University) and collect them after in each round. My most ...

A few days ago, we interviewed the magnificient Owen Mooney, current EUDC champion. We asked him some questions about his debating development and which advice he would give to novices and debaters who seek to become better. Enjoy some funny stories, expert suggestions and clever comments! ...

Some weeks ago, we interviewed David Alatorre and Montserrat Legorreta, convenors of México WUDC 2018. This week, we can finally present you the results with tons of information - whether it's about the Masters' Competition, the Socials, Livestreams, México Open, Triple breaks, Wi-Fi or the IA allocation system. Enjoy! ...

At the EUDC, many teams come together. Some of them are very ambitious and worked hard to have a chance to make the break. So did Milla Huuskonen and Joona Suhonen from Helsinki A. In this interview we asked them about their strategy and more. ...

The EUDC is attracting many of the same people again and again every year. But there are also always the people who come to Euros the first time and don’t know what to expect and what will be happening. The Achte Minute has talked to some of the people who are at their first EUDC here in Tallinn about their experiences, expectations and how those expectations were met. Hilla Schwartz Tudor Musat Emma van der Horst and Fenna ten Haaf Rachel Mullally Mrinal Kumar Hila Schwartz, Ben Guiron University of the Negev (Israel) [caption id="attachment_32549" align="alignleft" width="213"] Hila Schwartz - © H.Hecke[/caption] AM: So for how long have you ...

This year, a new country applied to join the European circuit at Tallinn EUDC 2017: The United Arab Emirates. Jan-Gunther Gosselke interviewed Nicolaj Thor from their team for the Achte Minute. ...

Day one is over and the participants of Tallinn EUDC are still hopeful and excited. At least it seems like it. The Achte Minute went around asking participant to deliver their best case for either Government or Opposition on the motions “TH supports coming to Tallinn EUDC” The overwhelming majority proposed that it was a great idea to join and also the voice who regrets coming, can’t really been taken seriously. Some of the arguments focused on the beauty of the city: I generally like traveling. The city and the old town is fun to go around and the waterfront is beautiful. There is ...

With the EUDC 2017 in Tallinn coming closer, people might want to prepare their trip - but what to prepare for? We've asked convenor Selene Gnadenteich about the tournament, including the questions we got from the community. ...

Five days ago the WUDC council announced that Cape Town won the vote to be WUDC host for 2019. We took the opportunity to ask the conveners about everything you might want to know. Have fun! Who are you and what's your role at Cape Town WUDC? [caption id="attachment_31168" align="alignleft" width="400"] Matthew Barry: External relations, debating and operations - © private[/caption] Matthew Barry: I'm one of the two co-conveners and I'm going to be hitting up the logistical side of things. I'm communicating with the tab team and doing the more debate-related stuff. That's what I'm handling. I study mechanical engineering and ...

Before the break we asked seasoned veterans for their background and strategies - now the time has come to talk with some of this year's most successful teams. In this article you will find: James Penn and James Rankin, Auckland A Lisa Schallenberg, Leiden C James Penn and James Rankin, Auckland A [caption id="attachment_30968" align="alignright" width="400"] James Penn and James Rankin - © private[/caption] James and James ranked third in the EPL break. They are debaters from Auckland, New Zealand. The interview was conducted by Lennart Lokstein. AM: Hey guys! Congratulations to your break. Did you party a lot? JP: Yeah, too much. Felt it this ...

The tournament is over which means this series is also coming to an end, at least for now. But before that, we still have some debaters we'd like you to meet! Erika Martinez and Alexis Hernando, Peru Aneeq Ali Sawar and Shayan Shaukat, Pakistan Erika Martinez and Alexis Hernando, Peru [caption id="attachment_30880" align="alignleft" width="400"] Erika Martinez and Alexis Hernando - © Johannes Meiborg[/caption] AM: Hi, can you give us a quick introduction of you and how you started debating? EM: I study philosophy at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru and have been debating in Spanish for four years now in our debating society called Sociedad ...

There are a lot of different people from a lot of different countries participating at the WUDC and we try to introduce you to as many as possible! In this part you will find interviews with the following participants: Beatriz de León and Yolanda González, Spain Charlotte Gabriel and Nathanael Revaldi, Indonesia Jan-Gunther Gosselke, Switzerland   Beatriz de León and Yolanda González, Spain [caption id="attachment_30845" align="alignleft" width="400"] Beatriz de León and Yolanda González - © Johannes Meiborg[/caption] AM: Hello who are you two and what brought you into debating? BdL: I'm Beatriz, 20 years old and I study law and international relations at the University Francisco de Vitania in ...

There’s no other time in the year where more outstanding, successful, brilliant, superb, mind-blowing, astonishing, fascinating debaters meet at one location then whilst WUDC. That makes worlds the perfect time to talk to some of these people and get them to share their secrets to success. We have spoken to three more people from The Netherlands, Israel, Bangladesh and Germany. The interviews were conducted by Helena Hecke. In this Article you’ll hear about the tricks of the trade from Marc-Andre Schulz – Aachen Emma Lucas and Gigi Gil – Leiden Monica Forman - Tel Aviv Ratib Ali - Dhaka [caption id="attachment_30787" align="alignright" width="229"] Marc-Andre Schulz - ...

The second day of the World Universities Debating Championship in The Hague is coming to an end and of course the Achte Minute was there once again and has interviewed some of the participants from all around the world. Today six people from three continents were interviewed and there will be more coming the following days. The interviews were conducted by Helena Hecke. In this part you can find the interviews with: Ngozi Sibulele and Inga Macingwano – South Africa Charles Lewis and Alan Chan – Canada Minji Kim and Do Hyung Shin – South Korea   Ngozi Sibulele and Inga Macingwano – South Africa [caption id="attachment_30797" align="alignleft" ...

There is no other time in the year where more outstanding, successful, brilliant, superb, mind-blowing, astonishing, fascinating debaters meet at one location than whilst at WUDC. This makes Worlds the perfect time to talk to some of those people and get them to share their secrets to success. Today on the day of the first rounds, the Achte Minute has spoken to three different people from Sweden and New Zealand. In this article you’ll find the tricks of the trade. Gustaf Lundgren and Johan Båge – Stockholm Sebastian Templeton – Wellington Gustaf Lundgren and Johan Båge – Stockholm Gustaf and Johan are ...

The first day of the World University Debating Championship 2017 in The Hague is coming to an end and of course the Achte Minute was there and interviewed some of the participants from all around the world. Today seven people from three continents were interviewed and more will be coming the following days. Interviewing for the Achte Minute was Helena Hecke. In this part you can find the interviews with: Pradeepta Adhikari and Shreya Josmi – Nepal Roshelle Pinnock, Patrice Minto and Germaine Barrett – Jamaica Tyler Whitney and Lemuel Daher, Northwest University Kirkland – USA Pradeepta Adhikari and Shreya Josmi – Nepal [caption id="attachment_30746" align="alignleft" ...

On the 19th-29th Juli the World Schools Debating Championships take place in and around Stuttgart, Germany (an article about the WSDC 2016 can be found here). The Achte Minute was visiting the event and we’ve interviewed some of the participating debaters from all around the world. Because of the large number of interviews the first part of this Mittwochs-Feature was already published yesterday. In this part you can find the interviews with: Naz Gocek, Branksome Hall - Canada Barbara Krumpholz, Europäisches Gymnasium Bertha-von-Suttner - Germany Thomas Murphy, Dubai College - United Arabic Emirates Abhaya Gauchan, Ratobangala School - Nepal   Naz Gocek, Branksome Hall - Canada [caption id="attachment_29517" ...

On the 19th-29th Juli the World Schools Debating Championships take place in and around Stuttgart, Germany (an article about the WSDC 2016 can be found here). The Achte Minute was visiting the event and has interviewed some of the participating debaters from all around the world. Because of the large number of interviews, the first part of this Mittwochs-Feature is already published today. The second part will be published regularly at 10am on Wednesday. In this part you can find the interviews with: Kenza Wilks, Dulwich College - England Alejo Gonzalez Virgili, Belgrano Day School - Argentina Jay Tanatswa Muzhingi, Kutama College - Zimbabwe Kenza ...

  Worlds are over, but some questions remain. Why was there a delay during the preliminary rounds every day? Did Tabbie2 malfunction at any time? Or were the adjudicator scores lost? Worlds Tab Master Jakob Reiter from DK Wien talked to Achte Minute about tabbing the biggest international tournament, his software Tabbie2, and other technical details. Achte Minute: Dear Jakob, you were one of the Tab Masters at the World University Debating Championships in Thessaloniki. How do you feel after this tournament? Jakob: I am really happy I had the opportunity to be the Tab Master. It is always a great challenge to ...

South Africa is currently applying to host the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC) in 2017. Should the bid be successful, Dessislava Kirova would form the Chief Adjudication panel, together with Gemma Buckley from Australia and Syed Saddiq from Malaysia. Anne Gaa spoke with her about her plans for the Worlds.Achte Minute: How did you get to be nominated by the South African OrgCom? Is there a special relationship between the German and South African debating communities?Dessislava Kirova: It was quite surprising. At the Paris Open 2013, I met someone who was, at that time, part of the organizing team. That connection ...

The preparations for the European Universities Debating Championship (EUDC) 2015 in Vienna are in full swing. Stefan Zweiker convenes the event, which will host 800 participants in Austria’s capital. Press representative of Debattierklub Wien (DKWien) Damita Pressl conducted a short interview. Stefan, how is the organisation going at the moment? What details have been confirmed so far? For one thing, we have a key organisation committee, meaning that up to this point, we had around 20 people completing most tasks. That number is now set to grow, and I would guess around another 20 people are going to join us and take ...

After Florian Umscheid has run the Achte Minute along with Annette Kirste since January 2013, he will assume a new task now: The representatives of german-speaking debating clubs elected him the president of VDCH (Verband der Debattierclubs an Hochschulen), the umbrella organisation of over 70 mostly German and Austrian debating clubs at universities. Along with Annette, Sarah Kempf will now run the Achte Minute as editor-in-chief. She has been Chief Convenor of the German Universities Debating Championship 2009 and the Gutenberg-Cup 2009 and 2010. Since 2010, she reports on local affairs and culture for the daily newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung in Mainz. ...

The general assembly of VDCH (Verband der Debattierclubs an Hochschulen), the umbrella organisation of over 70 german-speaking debating clubs at universities, has elected a new executive board on August 31. Florian Umscheid (Berlin/Bamberg) was elected president by the representatives; vice presidents are Tobias Kube (Marburg), Jennifer Holm (Heidelberg) and Alexander Labinsky (Dresden).   The Achte Minute congratulates the new board and wishes them best of success for their term of office! kem

Last weekend a dream that many debaters dream came true for Peer Klüßendorf and Emilia Carlqvist: They became European Debating Champions in English as a second language. Peer started debating in highschool when he attended "Jugend debattiert" and advanced to its national and international final in 2007. One year ago, he resumed debating when he moved to Lund. Emilia just moved to Lund in 2011 and tried debating at a local tournament. Despite liking it, she was too busy and did not debate again until 2012 when she decided to run for the board of Lund Debate Society. Achte Minute ...

[caption id="attachment_17141" align="alignright" width="324"] Beyond black and white: Danique van Koppenhagen (l) and Fred Cowell (r) are looking for Co-DCAs[/caption] The DCAs of the Durham EUDC 2014 bid contacted Achte Minute about the application process for Druham EUDC DCAs. Below are all the informations you need if you want to consider an application. "We will not be appointing DCAs on a specifically regional basis but will instead be appointing those individuals who meet the qualifications and are best placed to fulfil the duties and expectations of a DCA. The qualifications and duties of a DCA are set out below, we will be ...