USAL team, consisting of students Rawan Hurshi, Hiba Dhaini and Roua Sharafedine, wins second place during the final round of the 7th International Universities Debating Championship in Qatar, after competing with the Palestinian An-Najah National University. USAL represented Lebanon in this championship and qualified in previous rounds with merit and distinction, scoring an unprecedented progress by a Lebanese team.
Rawan Hurshi and Hiba Dhaini also won third and tenth places consecutively as Best Speakers in the championship.
Debating students departed last Friday to participate in the championship held in Qatar, and compete among 255 speakers from 100 universities worldwide.
The closing ceremony of the championship held at Doha was attended by cultural, academic and social representatives from different countries, on top of which was the Lebanese Ambassador to Qatar, Mrs. Farah Berri.
Students received training in mechanisms of debating, and other skills necessary for this championship by the head of “Discuss, Debate & Discourse Community”, the trainer and engineer Mr. Hassan Al Husseini.
Topics debated by USAL team and other participating teams varied, and included “Economic Instability, Lack of Opportunities, Conflicts, Freedom Restriction, Islamophobia, Hatred, Loss of Identity” among others.
It’s noteworthy that last January, the team qualified for the 2024 National Championship for Lebanon’s University Debates, organized by SMART Center, in partnership with “Discuss, Debate & Discourse Community”, and in cooperation with “QatarDebate Center”, to represent Lebanon in the championship, along with the teams of the Lebanese University and American University of Beirut. USAL team outperformed the other participating teams, to represent Lebanon in the Debating Championship in Qatar, finally winning second place.
The team returned with a new Lebanese achievement; and achievement that Lebanon and the University are proud of.
