Debating: winning about the Olympics

07 March 2024

On the night of March 4^th, 2024, the Télécom Paris debate team won about the subject « This House Believes in the Olympics », versus École des Ponts.

Hadrien Bernard, Manuela Ayo, Najib Abi Fadel, Pedro Beltran Kikuti, Sacha Khosrowshahi used their skills to bring victory to Télécom Paris. The Télécom team highlighted the economic advantages and the cultural exchanges that the Olympics can bring, as well as the various benefits of sport in general. This win allows Télécom Paris debate team to advance to the Quarter Final stage of the French Debating Association‘s 2024 Debate Tournament!

Many thanks to Zachary Oberg, English teacher, coach of the Télécom Paris debate team and vice-president of the French Debating Association, Melania Burgelis, English and debate teacher at Télécom Paris, Sinead Namur, coach of the ENSTA Paris debate team and member of the jury, Kyle Weinandy, coach of the Ecole des Ponts debate team, with whom this event would have been possible.

Every year, the French Debating Association tournament welcomes debaters from various universities and grandes écoles. The format is inspired by the debates of the British Houses of Parliament and, to some extent, the debates of the French National Assembly. The rules of the tournament were inspired by the World Schools Style debating (WSS). Two teams debate a motion, alternating between speakers « proposing the motion » and speakers « opposing the motion ». They take turns making fiery six-minute speeches, refuting each other’s arguments, with the aim of convincing a jury.

This tournament is engaging and entertaining, but it is also an opportunity to develop skills that are highly useful for our future graduates: mastery of English of course, but also the ability to defend one’s point of view, the ability to react quickly to an argument or an unexpected situation, and the ability to present one’s arguments in a relevant and convincing manner.