Kyushu U reaches Grand Finals in English as a Foreign Language category at the 40th World Universities Debating Championship

Students made Kyushu University proud at the 40th World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) held at Assumption University in Thailand from December 28, 2019, to January 3, 2020, by advancing to the Grand Finals in the English as a Foreign Language category.

The world’s largest English-speaking debate competition, the 40th WUDC brought nearly 350 teams from more than 240 participating universities spread across 50 countries along with almost 300 judges together in Thailand to determine the top debaters in categories covering various levels of English fluency.

Five representatives from Kyushu University joined the tournament, and the Kyushu B team of Khac Hung and Senran Tao advanced from a field of 62 eligible teams to the eight-team semifinals in the English as a Foreign Language category based on their excellent nine preliminary round scores in open competition against teams of all levels of English proficiency.

Kyushu B gave a strong performance that moved them through to the four-team Grand Finals in the category, where Bandung Institute of Technology went on to take the top prize.

Of the thirteen teams from 10 universities in Japan that joined the championship, including teams from the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Osaka University, Kyushu B was one of only two to move out of the preliminary rounds, with the other being the team from International Christian University competing in the English as a Second Language category.

“Seeing the historic moment when Kyushu University advanced to the last four teams for the Grand Final is a vivid memory that will remain with me throughout my life,” said Kyushu A team member Miyu Shibuya, who joined WUDC for the first time this year.

“At the same time, I also have so many happy memories from my own experiences in this tournament,” she continued.

The excellent results highlight the advances in debating competence of Kyushu University students as they look to be even more active in the coming year.