Students show off the gift of the gab

THEY were the talk of the town last night as hundreds of competitors in the debating “Olympics” let their hair down in Cork.

Almost 1,000 of the world’s best university debaters are in the city for the prestigious 29th World Universities Debating Championships hosted by University College Cork (UCC).

And after a tough day of argument and counter argument, the teams agreed on one thing — to hit the city and enjoy a comedy session in Clancy’s Bar.

Cork Chamber estimates the competition is worth about €2 million to the local economy — but that’s debatable. Judging by the spending last night, and with a number of other sightseeing trips planned for New Year’s Day, it’s likely the city’s coffers could be boosted further.

The international debating competition features 308 teams drawn from 176 third-level institutions from 43 different countries.

All debates are held in English. Four teams of two are given just 15 minutes to prepare each debate, with each speaker given seven minutes to make their arguments.

Defending champions Sydney were in action on day one as the first of almost 750 individual debates scheduled this week took place.

Topics included “that this house would ban all forms of gambling”.

The teams will be whittled down over the coming days with the top 32 being selected just after midnight on New Year’s Eve for the knockout rounds which start on Friday. The grand final will take place in City Hall on Sunday.

The winning team will be presented with a crystal replica of the Sam Maguire cup.

This is the second time UCC has hosted the competition — making it the first college to both win the event and host it twice, said spokesman Mark Collins.

UCC hosted it in 1996 and won it in 1986 with Brian Hassett and Siobhain Lankford on the winning team. But because UCC is hosting this year’s finals, it cannot field teams.

Irish hopes are resting on the skills of two teams from Limerick, six from Trinity, six from UCD, three from NUI Galway and one from DCU.

Members of the public are welcome to attend the free debates in UCC’s Boole basement complex over the coming days.