Headline sounds strangely dirty…

Victoria’s prided debating teams have arrived back in the country after huge success at the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships (Australs) at Universiti Teknologi Mara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia two weeks ago.

Victoria One, made up of Christopher Bishop, Stephen Whittington, and Sayeqa Islam, finished second to University of Queensland Two.

Islam received the Martin Sorenson Cup for Best Speaker of the tournament (out of 324 speakers), as well as the Jock Fanselow Cup for best speaker in the final, and Bishop was ranked as the 8th best speaker of the tournament.

Debating Society President Chris Bishop is “absolutely delighted” with the teams’ performance and says Debsoc is “going through a golden period.”

“These are the best results by any New Zealand university at Australs for over a decade. After years of domination on the domestic debating scene, the Society is making an impact on the international stage, with Vic debaters well-respected and feared around the world,” says Bishop.

Victoria One’s result is the best of a New Zealand team since 1998, and Vic’s best result since 1998.

VUWSA President Geoff Hayward congratulates the teams “for doing so well on the world stage, and passing the already-high level which debating teams from Victoria have established over its long history”.

“We’re looking forward to sending a large squad of experienced debaters to the pinnacle of university debating, the World Championships, in December,” Bishop says.