National Debating Championship launched in Oman
Muscat – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, in collaboration with the Oman Debate Centre, has launched the eighth edition of the National Debating Championship, aimed at strengthening public speaking and critical thinking among the youth.
The championship seeks to equip young people with skills in persuasion and critical thinking, while encouraging healthy competition and promoting the ethics of dialogue. It also aims to highlight debates as a key educational tool that enhances teaching methods and helps students analyse social issues through logical reasoning.
Organisers hope it will prepare a generation capable of engaging responsibly with local and global challenges. Preliminary training sessions will begin on Monday, covering fundamentals such as debating basics, argument construction, rebuttals, and case analysis. Participants will also learn techniques for structured presentations.
This year's edition features a revised format for the qualifying rounds, divided into three regional stages. The first will take place at the Arab Open University in Muscat on April 11 and will include teams from Muscat, Dakhliyah, South Batinah, North Sharqiyah and South Sharqiyah.
The second round will be hosted by the University of Buraimi on April 18, featuring teams from North Batinah, Dhahirah, Buraimi and Musandam. The third stage will be held at Dhofar University on April 21, involving teams from Al Wusta and Dhofar. School-level qualifiers will be conducted virtually to select finalists.
Hilal bin Saif al Siyabi, Director General of Youth at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, said the championship is one of the ministry's flagship events aimed at developing young people's skills in public speaking and expression. 'Year after year, we see progress in the quality of participation and the growing reach of the competition. This shows the importance of the initiative in preparing a generation capable of engaging in dialogue with logic and objectivity,' he said.
Nasser bin Humaid al Hinai, CEO of the Oman Debate Centre, added that the tournament is part of an effort to foster leadership among youth through structured discussion. 'We aim to build a generation capable of contributing to society through objective dialogue. In addition to official matches, participants will benefit from intensive training sessions,' he said.
The championship will see over 272 debaters from 68 teams compete, including 28 teams from cultural and sports clubs and 40 representing educational institutions. The finalists will go on to compete for the national title and the opportunity to represent Oman in international championships.
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