GIBS Hosts First International High School Debate Tournament in Austria!
Last weekend, GIBS was thrilled to host Austria’s first international debate tournament for high schools! We welcomed teams from Switzerland, Lithuania, Czechia, and a large contingent from Italy and Vienna. Over the course of three days, 14 teams participated in 46 debates across six rounds, culminating in an exciting Grand Final held at the theology faculty of KF University under the auspices of the UNESCO Chair for Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue for South East Europe.
The debates covered a wide range of thought-provoking topics, including the environment, anti-EU parties, trying new things, military/civil service, and religion. We were honoured to have some of the world’s top international judges provide insightful feedback to the students and lead a special workshop for teachers. Among the judges was Debate Club Alumna Una Šarić, our very own Mr Benac as well as Igor Kizik who, given his debate experience, was asked to judge the Semi-Finals. Mr Ó Cribín and his brother Dónal also offered their insights and feedback as experienced judges throughout the tournament.
Fifteen GIBS students competed on three teams, with many others working tirelessly behind the scenes to help organize and run this landmark event. Among the highlights, Sofia Schuppler was ranked as the Top Speaker of the Tournament—an outstanding achievement! Additionally, one of our teams (Felix Fintl, Nils Maletz, Maj Bradan, Riya Sundaravadivelu, and Mariel Tantalean Diaz) advanced to the Novice Final, where they delivered an eloquent and passionate defence of Austria as a place to live. We were also excited to host and engage with debaters from Vienna and look forward to future collaborations in the new year to foster and grow debate culture in Austrian schools.
This tournament wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible efforts of the organizing team: Marcas Ó Cribín from GIBS and Marina Kojić from Vienna. We are especially grateful to the Vienna volunteers, who played a crucial role in ensuring the event’s success. A big thank-you goes to Ms Greimel for organizing volunteers and leading a wonderful city tour for our visiting teams. Special recognition is also due to Benjamin Koller, Tobias Rothbart, and Sophie Stangl for their tireless behind-the-scenes work, as well as our irreplaceable Mr. Töbe, who ensured everything ran smoothly both during the tournament and in preparing the school for Monday.
GIBS is incredibly proud of everyone involved in making this historic event a success. We look forward to hosting and participating in more debates as we continue to champion the value of critical thinking, public speaking, and collaboration in schools throughout Austria!
