debating comes home

bid booklet

GREECE

Greece is located in south-eastern Europe, on the southern end of the Balkan Penin-

sula, and lies at the meeting point of three continents – Europe, Asia and Africa. The

climate is Mediterranean, and December and January see occasional snow, but even

in winter it is rarely very cold. Sea winds moderate Thessaloniki’s weather, ensuring

that seasonal fluctuations in temperature are moderate.

Eighty percent of the country consists of mountains or hills, making Greece one of

the most mountainous nations of Europe; furthermore, it has 16,000 kilometres of

coastline of which 7,500 are found around the thousands of islands of the Greek

archipelago, most notably Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Santorini and the Cyclades – a truly

unparalleled phenomenon on the European continent.

The rhetorical tradition in Greece is as old as the stones of the Acropolis. It was the

ancient Greeks who first studied, categorised and explained the art of persuasive lan-

guage. Aristotle’s Three Means of Persuasion – logos, pathos and ethos – continue

to serve as a touchstone for modern speakers today. Together with the remarkable

Athenian experiment in democracy, Greece can fairly claim to have set the template

for much of the last two thousand years of political thought and expression.

It is that heritage that lies behind the slogan for WUDC 2016, “Debating comes home”,

and that tradition that leads us to hope that the claim is not a presumptuous one.

DISCOVER

Over 15 million people per year visit Greece, drawn by the climate, nightlife, historical sites

and natural beauty of the country.

Many first-time visitors arrive in Greece with specific images in mind and are surprised to

discover a country with such regional diversity. Visitors will find Neoclassical architecture

in Ermoupolis and Nafplion, Ottoman-influenced buildings in the north, whitewashed Cy-

cladic homes on Paros, and pastel-colored baroque homes and churches on Corfu.

The nation's terrain is just as varied as its architectural heritage: idyllic beaches, towering

mountain ranges, wine-producing valleys, vast stretches of olive orchards in the south,

and lush forests in the north. Greece's historical sights are just as varied; the country is

littered with just as many medieval churches and castles as classical ruins and temples.

Visit a place that has influenced arts, language, philosophy, politics, and

sports like no other, having given the world the genres of comedy and

drama, western alphabets, Platonic ideals and the Socratic method,

democracies and republics, and the Olympics. Its modern metropolises,

ancient ruins, mountainous mainland and idyllic island beaches offer a

wide range of appealing and fun places to explore.

THESSALONIKI

HISTORY

Thessaloniki has some of the most remarkable monuments from the ancient and

Byzantine eras, with countless Byzantine temples. The city’s past is kept alive in its

aboveground monuments, Roman columns, Paleochristian and Byzantine churches,

Ottoman mosques and covered markets, synagogues and Jewish markets and mag-

nificent mansions where the local leaders and foreign aristocrats lived. IIt is the rich-

est among the cities of the East in Byzantine Churches, which indeed have valuable

epigrams and diverse and multifarious decorations. The Byzantine churches in Thes-

saloniki are the most important monuments from the Byzantine era and many have

been declared UNESCO World Heritage sites.

NIGHTLIFE

If you think that everyone in Thessaloniki is rushing somewhere all day, just wait until

nightfall. It seems like everyone in town stops at a favorite cafe on the way home

from work and then heads out to dinner -- this, before or after taking in a play or con-

cert at one of the city's many theaters, concert halls, and nightclubs with live enter-

tainment.

Meanwhile, the city seems festooned with enough bars and clubs to serve a popu-

lation twice its size, yet all of them are crowded to the bursting point -- and more

open every year. For some of the liveliest nightlife in town, try one of the cafes in the

waterfront Ladidika district, or along the harbor on Nikis Street, or head inland to

Athoonos Square, or sample the cafes on pedestrianized downtown streets.

Thessaloniki is the largest city in northern Greece and the second largest

in Greece, not to mention one of the oldest in Europe, extending over 12

km along the shore of the Thermaic Gulf. Thessaloniki is one of the Greek

cities with the richest histories, and is now considered the one of the most

influential cities in Southeastern Europe. In 1997, it was named the cultural

capital of Europe and it will be the European Youth Capital in 2014. It is a

dazzling and lively city with a centuries-long history, a metropolis of the

Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires and the modern-day capital of

the Greek region of Central Macedonia.

Meal for one (local fast food): €2.50Meal for two (restaurant): €15.00Pastries (vegetarian or meat): €1.50Sandwiches: €2.00Water: €0.50Cappuccino (takeaway): €1.50Soft drink (330 ml): €0.60Beer (kiosk): €1.00

Beer (cafes/pubs): €3.00Wine - retsina (market, 500 ml): €1.20Wine - white/red (market, 500 ml): €2.30Wine (cafes/pubs, glass): €2.50Pack of cigarettes: €3.00Bus tickets: €0.80Taxi start: €1.19Taxi per km: €0.68

Price levels.

HOSTS

The Debating Society of Greece was founded by a group of experienced Greek de-

bate trainers and organisers in order to provide debate training to young people in

universities, schools and community centres, to run programmes that achieve social

and cultural aims through communication and public speaking and to organise local

and international debating tournaments. The organisation aims to help create a cul-

ture of dialogue in Greece at a time when the economic crisis, the subsequent aus-

terity measures and the increasing polarisation of political discourse have led to the

breakdown of the Greek social fabric and the rise of violent attacks on marginalised

and vulnerable social groups. The Debating Society of Greece is a member of the In-

ternational Debate Education Association.

The Open Communication Debating Network (Otvorena komunikacija in Serbian)

is a university debating network that seeks to advance the culture of public dialogue.

It was founded in 1997 by professors and students of the University of Belgrade,

and since over 1500 students from Serbia and the region have graduated from its

educational programs. Open Communication is working on the development of crit-

ical thinking and the culture of dialogue by supporting university debating clubs, and

high school debating clubs since 2010. Open Communication was the host of the

2012 European University Debating Championship and are co-hosting the 2014 Eu-

ropean University Debating Championship with the Zagreb Debating Union.

The Rhetoric Club of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is one of the oldest

university debating clubs in Greece. Based at the largest university in Greece and

the Balkans, it hosts the annual Panhellenic Championships in Greek and serves all

public university students in Thessaloniki.

The University of Macedonia is a modern, extrovert, flexible and dynamic institution

with ten undergraduate academic departments covering top scientific fields. The

main campus is located in the heart of Thessaloniki on 156 Egnatia Street. It is

housed in a group of buildings with a total area of approximately 40.000 square me-

ters, consisting of amphitheatres, teaching and seminar rooms, a restaurant, which

operates during the whole academic year, a gymnasium and a bookstore. The area

where the building is in is part of a larger complex that hosts two universities, twenty

faculties and 135,000 students. The University has recently added a main audito-

rium that is the core of one of the most contemporary Conference Centres and hosts

important cultural events of the city.

The three organisations behind Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 have proven

themselves as excellent hosts for a series of events, including the 2012

European Universities Debating Championship and the Athens, Belgrade

and Patras Opens. They have also successfully fundraised hundreds of

thousands of euros for debating projects, including international partner-

ships aimed at increasing communication understanding among youth.

TRAVEL AND VIsas

Highlights

- Affordable, easy and frequent flight connections

- Over 70 countries don’t need a visa

- Apply for a Greek visa in 145 countries worldwide

- Schengen visa allows for post-WUDC Europe travel

- Confirmed 10-15% Star Alliance discounts

Thessaloniki is served by the Macedonia International Airport, a major regional air

hub that is served by the following major alliance members:

Star Alliance: Aegean, Austrian Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Turkish Airlines

Skyteam: Aeroflot, Alitalia, TAROM

Oneworld: Air Berlin, British Airways

Moreover, the airport is a destination for low-cost carriers easyJet, Germanwings,

Ryanair and Wizzair which connect Thessaloniki to over 20 European cities, with tick-

ets starting at €10.

You can also fly into the Athens International Airport and travel by train or bus to

Thessaloniki. Athens is served by major intercontinental carriers Air China, Air France,

Emirates, Etihad, Gulf Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss and Singapore Airlines, with direct

flights starting 2014 between Athens and the United States, Canada and South

Africa.

Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 will provide dedicated coach transfers from Athens Inter-

national Airport, to add to the existing range of options to connect to Thessaloniki:

an hourly intercity bus service, eight direct train services per day and hundreds of

seats on daily flights that start at €20 return per person.

Thessaloniki is also connected to all major Balkan cities by bus, increasing your travel

options. These cities include Belgrade, Bucharest, Budapest, Istanbul, Skopje and

Sofia.

Star Alliance discount

Thessaloniki's airport is a hub for Aegean Airlines, a member of Star Alliance, the

world's largest airline alliance connecting over 1300 destinations around the world.

Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 participants will enjoy a 10% to 15% discount on interna-

tional economy fares on Star Alliance carriers, which also include Lufthansa, Swiss,

Singapore, Thai, Turkish and United Airlines, depending on their booking class. You

can use these discounts on one of the 475 connecting routes to Thessaloniki or one

of the 1814 to Athens from all over the world.

Visit a place that has influenced arts, language, philosophy, politics, and

sports like no other, having given the world the genres of comedy and

drama, western alphabets, Platonic ideals and the Socratic method,

democracies and republics, and the Olympics. Its modern metropolises,

ancient ruins, mountainous mainland and idyllic island beaches offer a

wide range of appealing and fun places to explore.

We are in discussions and are expecting further offers from Aegean and other Star

Alliance carriers in the next couple of days to expand your travel options and make

Greece even more accessible for you.

Star Alliance offers our delegates the following discounts:

Discounts for Domestic Travel: 3-15%*

Discounts for International Travel (Economy): 10-15%*

Discounts for Interantional Travel (Business): 10-20%*

*: Depending on fare booking classes. Full terms and conditions is published on our website

COST OF TRAVEL

We have conducted some research into the price of flights to Greece when booked 4

months in advance and found that for a number of cities in North America, Asia and

Africa getting to Greece is significantly cheaper than the prices for intercontinental

travel to WUDC 2011 or 2012. These are some indicative flight prices (in US dollars):

Asia

From Bangalore: $766 on Emirates (1 stop)

From Bangkok: $837 on Aeroflot (1 stop)

From Beijing: $771 on LOT (1 stop)

From Chennai: $855 on Emirates (1 stop)

From Delhi: $728 on Emirates (1 stop)

From Dhaka: $1175 on Emirates (2 stops)

From Guangzhou: $980 on Egyptair (1 stop)

From Hanoi: $1017 on Ukraine (2 stops)

From Hong Kong: $964 on Emirates (1 stop)

From Jakarta: $1182 on Egyptair (2 stops)

From Kuala Lumpur: $934 on Etihad (1 stop)

From Lahore: $739 on Emirates (1 stop)

From Macau: $1255 on Air China (2 stops)

From Manila: $1104 on Etihad (1 stop)

From Seoul: $946 on Aeroflot (1 stop)

From Singapore: $841 on Emirates (1 stop)

From Tokyo: $972 on Etihad (1 stop)

Africa

From Gaborone: $792 on Etihad (2 stops)

From Harare: $810 on Egyptair (2 stops)

From Johannesburg: $571 on Emirates (1 stop)

From Windhoek: $928 on Qatar (2 stops)

Oceania

From Auckland: $1980 on Qantas (2 stops)

From Melbourne: $1566 on Air China (2 stops)

From Sydney: $1552 on Air China (2 stops)

Americas

From Atlanta: $1101 on Air France (1 stop)

From Boston: $897 on Delta Air (1 stop)

From Burlington: $1075 on Turkish (2 stops)

From Denver: $1237 on multiple (2 stops)

From Kingston: $1078 on Turkish (2 stops)

From New Orleans: $1092 on Delta (2 stops)

From Vancouver: $1189 on Turkish (2 stops)

IONA

From Dublin: $277 on SAS (1 stop)

From Glasgow: $378 on BA (1 stop)

From London: $151 on Ryanair (direct), $263

on Alitalia (1 stop)

Europe

From Amsterdam: $244 on Air France (1 stop)

From Berlin: $157 on Aegean (direct)

From Budapest: $153 on Aegean (direct)

From Paris: $187 on Aegean (direct)

From Riga: $274 on Air Baltic (direct)

From Vienna: $204 on Aegean (direct)

Data sources:

matrix.itasoftware.com for full service airlines

skyscanner.net for low-cost airlines

More travel information on our Facebook

page at facebook.com/thessaloniki2016.

Visas

As millions of Greeks live and work abroad, and as part of the European Union,

Greece maintains an extensive international network of diplomatic missions that will

make it very easy for our participants who require visas to get one. To make it even

easier, we will have a dedicated team of visa officers who will be reachable 24/7 on

phone and Skype to deal with any last-minute hassles.

European Union, European Economic Area and Swiss citizens have the right to live

and work in Greece. Beyond these countries, the citizens of the following nations,

among others, are currently able to travel to Greece without a visa:

Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Israel, Montenegro, Serbia

Americas: Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, El Sal-

vador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, United States,

Uruguay, Venezuela

Oceania: Australia, New Zealand

Asia: Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan

Africa: Mauritius, Seychelles

You can apply for a visa for Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 in 145 countries and territories

around the world. Greece maintains diplomatic missions in 70 countries. In addition

to that, Greece has arrangements with diplomatic missions of other EU member

states in 79 countries that issue visas for Greece through their own consulates.

Travelling before and after WUDC

Greece is one of the world's favourite tourist destinations, visited by over 15 million

people per year. The iconic Acropolis of Athens, the breathtaking scenery at Meteora

and the thousands of archaeological, medieval and modern sights across the country

make up for an excellent pre- or post-Worlds holiday.

You can also take advantage of our world class nightlife and party in one of our sea-

side towns, or hit the slopes in one of our ski resorts, or visit the islands and find

out why they're so famous. Our dedicated Travel Officer will help participants locate

the best deals for those extra days of rest (or partying!)

Thessaloniki is also located at the heart of a diverse region rich in history and culture

and is very well connected to the magnificent city of Istanbul, up-and-coming party

capital Belgrade and dozens of other Balkan cities that are well worth visiting.

The Schengen visa that you will get to visit Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 also allows you

to travel around the entire Schengen area after the competition, including countries

like France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Do not hesitate to ask our dedicated visa team

and our travel officer for more information regarding your pre- and post-WUDC plans.

accommodation

Highlights

- 4-star city centre accommodation

- Two hotels across the street from each other

- 407 rooms in Capsis Hotel, 133 rooms in Vergina Hotel

- Easy access to 24/7 food, drink and local amenities

Comfort, professionalism and superb level of services represent the core qualitiesoffered in Capsis Hotel Thessaloniki. Latest technology designs and recent renova-tion have made Capsis one of the best-known and foremost central hotels in Thes-saloniki, being an ideal option for business meetings, conference receptions andtours. The hotel is located close to the railway station, offering 24/7 food, drink andconvenience stores at short walking distance.

The Capsis Hotel, a representative member of the eminent Capsis Hotel Chain, isthe largest city hotel in the Northern Greece. The hotel's 407 rooms and 18 Confer-ence multi-use centers are fully equipped to satisfy the most demanding needs. Thehotel is carefully designed to enable access and transportation of individuals withspecial needs throughout all main hotel facilities.

To be able to cater for even more participants, we have also secured up to 133 roomsin Hotel Vergina which is right across the street. All participants will have access tothe same level of hospitality and services in both tournament hotels. The hotels willprovide all participants with free wireless Internet in the rooms, free access to a fit-ness centre and sauna as well as to a fully equipped Business Centre.

Our main tournament hotel is the four-star Capsis Hotel in downtown Thes-

saloniki, the largest city hotel in northern Greece. Its convenient location is

close both to our debating venues and the vibrant night-life of Europe's

Youth Capital for 2014 and Lonely Planet's ultimate party city. We have pro-

visionally booked the entire hotel, which is 407 rooms, for WUDC 2016. We

have also confirmed up to 133 rooms with Hotel Vergina which is right ac-

cross the street from Capsis.

All preliminary rounds will be held in and around the University of Macedonia main

building on Egnatia Street in downtown Thessaloniki. The building is part of a larger

complex that hosts two universities, twenty faculties and 135,000 students.

We have found rooms that can easily accommodate a 448 team tournament very

close to the modern announcement venues in the University of Macedonia and the

Polytechnic School Annex.

The university is on the same street with the hotels that you will be staying on, making

the morning bus ride to the venue a short one. Public transport buses take 15 min-

utes to reach the university and we are confident that our dedicated transfers will

take even less.

Our outround venues are being confirmed. We are in advanced

talkswith large seaside venues for the finals and the closing cer-

emony. Our preferred final location, which has already declared

its interest in hosting us, is the Thessaloniki Concert Hall. The

hall is 10 minutes away from the hotel by car and 25 minutes

away by public transport. The finals will be held in building M1, a

landmark of Thessaloniki’s waterfront, a reference point for resi-

dents and visitors and an asset for the city’s architectural profile.

It is a perfect combination, paying heed to the city’s Byzantine

past and the modern perception of material and form.

venues

ORGANISATION

Highlights

- Belgrade EUDC 2012 and Athens WSDC 2009 experience

- Convened over 50 large competitions in Europe

- Experienced debaters and adjudicators

- Worked for large events like the 2004 Olympics

CONVENOR: PETROS PAPALIANOs

Petros Papalianos is currently employed as a Fi-nancial Officer for a large private sector con-tractor responsible for budgeting, cost controland financial planning of major infrastructureprojects such as the expansion of the AthensMetro. Petros has been an active member ofthe debating community in Greece since 2001.He is a founding member and resident coachof the Athens University of Economics and Busi-ness Debating Society. Through it he has organ-ized a series of University Debatingtournaments in Greece. He has served as amember of the organizing committee for “An-tilogia”, the Greek Ministry of Education’s Stu-dents Debating Competition, and the WorldSchools Debating Championship in Athens in2009, acting as Hospitality Manager and Finan-cial Officer. As a debater he holds two nationaltitles and has broken to the semis and finals ofKoc University IDC and Serbia Debating Camprespectively, placing in the top-ten speaker

ranking. As an adjudicator he broke to the octo-finals of the World Schools DebatingChampionships and served as a member of the adjudicating core and as a CA for anumber of Student and University Debating tournaments in Greece.

Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 will be run by one of the most experienced teams

ever assembled. Don't just take our word for it though; members of our or-

ganising committee have the experience to prove it, having:

- Been at the epicentre of planning and organisation for Belgrade Euros.

- Managed the finances and logistics at Athens WSDC 2009

- Convened half a dozen international opens in Greece, Finland and Serbia,

renowned for their on-time tabbing and scheduling.

- Put together and run over 40 national competitions

- Been adjudication core members at IVs and Opens all over Europe

- Experience with huge public events from outside the world of

debating, including involvement in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

Importantly, our organisers have experience as breaking speakers and

judges at a number of major international competitions, including WUDC

and EUDC so they know what participants expect when it comes to flawless

planning and execution.

Milan Vignjevic was the Convenor of the European Universi-

ties Debating Championship 2012 in Belgrade, Serbia and

will be one of the Chief Adjudicators of Zagreb EUDC 2014

this summer. He is a seasoned organiser, having led the Open

Communication debating network as its President and having

organised summer debate academies, international Opens

and training programmes, both in Serbia and abroad. Milan is

one of the most distinguished debaters in the Balkans. During

the past years he has repeatedly broken to the ESL quarters

and semi-finals in WUDC and EUDC, he was the ESL winner of

London Australs and an ESL finalist at the Oxford IV. His adjudication record includes

breaking as a judge in Berlin WUDC 2012, judging finals at the Cambridge IV and

the SOAS IV, among many others, as well as being part of the adjudication core in

several european competitions, including Belgrade Open, Paris Centrale, Athens

Open, Paris Sciences Po and the Patras Open.

Katerina Karadimitri, the convenor of the Patras Open in

2013, is the Director of the Debating Society of Greece and

the founder and coordinator of the University of Patras De-

bating Society, which was founded in 2009 and is the first

and only university debating society of the city. Since 2010,

Katerina has organized four national debating tournaments,

which are recognised for their high quality and considered to

be the best organized tournaments in Greece. She has de-

bated extensively in Greece and been part of the adjudication

core of national university tournaments over the past three

years. She has also participated in school debating tournaments, offering workshops

on debate skills and serving as a judge on multiple occasions. Katerina is finishing

her Masters degree in Computer and Electrical Engineering.

Predrag Petricevic was a World EFL Finalist in 2011 and the

Logistics Director for Belgrade EUDC 2012. Predrag started

debating in high school, later becoming a coach and coordi-

nator of a high school debate club. He won a series of tour-

naments in Karl Popper format before moving on to the

university debating circuit and to parliamentary formats where

he carried on winning tournaments and participating in finals

(winner of Serbian Debate Camp 2006, winner and best

speaker of Belgrade International Games 2007, finalist of Bel-

grade International Games 2008, finalist of Athens Open

2009). Apart from debating and judging on a regular basis, he gives lectures and

workshops on debate in Serbia. Predrag was also the Tournament Director of the

Belgrade Open 2011.

Angelos Emmanouilidis, the convenor of the Turku Open

2013, has graduated with honours from Aristotle University

of Thessaloniki, Department of Psychology. Currently he is

doing his PhD in Digital Learning Environments while finishing

a second Master’s in Management of Health Units. He was

an active debater for seven years and during this period he

was finalist and winner in several National Tournaments in

both high school and in university level. From 2004 to 2010

he was training school teams whereas since 2008 he has also

been coaching various debating clubs in university level. For

two years he was the head of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Debating Club or-

ganizing successfully two National Tournaments. Since 2011 he is the President of

the Debating Club of University of Turku.

Vassilis Tsipopoulos, the most recent Greek national cham-

pion, has served on the organising committee of the Edin-

burgh University Debates Society for four years, including

serving one term as treasurer and two years as the coordina-

tor of the Society's training offerings. Vassilis has convened

schools competitions for Edinburgh and has been the CA of

university competitions for AUEB in Athens and AUTH in Thes-

saloniki. He was a finalist at the international Patras Open

2013, a quarterfinalist at Istanbul Open 2006 and the winner

of five national debating competitions in Greece. Vassilis, who

holds a degree in Mathematics from Edinburgh and an MBA from the Athens Uni-

versity of Economics and Business, currently works in Greece for a leading interna-

tional architectural coatings firm

Eirini Damianaki has spoken at the finals of the European

Parliament IV in Scotland in 2008 and has won numerous

national schools and universities competitions in Greece.

She was the President of the Deree Debating Club and the

Convenor of the Athens Open in 2011 which attracted 44

teams from across Europe. During her studies at Deree she

also convened ten editions of the Deree College Invitational

Debating Tournament which attracted between 48 and 72

teams twice a year. She was also active in the initial setting up

of debating societies at public universities in Greece and has

shown commitment in spreading debating to less privileged students across the

country. Eirini holds a BA in Communication and currently works for a marketing

agency in Athens.

Stratos Baloutsos is a Managing Partner of the Debating So-

ciety of Greece and one of the founding members of the Uni-

versity of Patras Debating Club, where he also coached the

university’s debate teams for the last four years. He was on

the organizing team of seven Panhellenic Debate tourna-

ments, four in Patras and three in Athens for the AUEB Debat-

ing Society. He has served as Convenor and Chief Adjudicator

for a number of tournaments around Greece. As a debater, he

has been active ever since 2003 and has taken part in many

finals, both in high school and university levels and having won

a number of them. Most recently he won the 7th Panhellenic Debate Championship

in Thessaloniki in 2012 where he also received the Best Speaker award. He was

also a finalist in the Deree Invitational XLIV in 2012 and AUEB championships of

2010 and 2011. In 2013 he was part of TEDxAUEB staff and participated in a debate

on whether debating can redefine reality. Stratos is currently completing his master’s

degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration on automated argument

analysis and presentation.

Norah Dimopoulou is the Legal Counsellor of the Debating

Society of Greece. She is an Attorney and a Member of the

Patras Bar Association since 2012. She studied Law in

Greece and holds a Master’s Degree in Consumer Protection

and Competition Law from the Law Faculty of the University of

Montpellier in France. Norah started debating in 2003, being

a member of the winning team in the Students Debating Com-

petition of the Greek Ministry of Education of the year. In 2004

she was placed in the top-ten speaker ranking of that same

Competition in national level. Nora was a member of the Uni-

versity of Patras Debating Society and has participated in various Tournaments as a

Debater or a Judge. She was also in the organizing team of Patras Open 2013. She

is currently working as an attorney and a professional actress.

Milan Krstanovic was the tournament director for Belgrade

EUDC 2012 and will repeat this role for Zagreb EUDC 2014.

He was also a WUDC 2012 EFL finalist, the Convenor of Bel-

grade Open 2011 and the best speaker of Athens Open 2011.

He’s part of Open Communication since 2006, currently serv-

ing as a member of its supervisory board. He has been in nu-

merous domestic and international finals. Milan won the

debate competition of the Serbian Summer Debate Academy

in 2009, the FUTUR 2008- international competition in Slove-

nia and the University of Belgrade Debating Championship

three times. He was a finalist of the Serbian debate league 2009/2010 and a semi-

finalist of Belgrade Open 2010.

Victor Forlidas, the Socials Director for Patras Open 2013

and two other national debating tournaments, is a radio pro-

ducer, sound technician, musician and event planner. He is

the guitarist for band Minor Project, which is rapidly gaining

popularity in Greece appearing on major radio and music TV

stations and at gigs like the Love in Athens Film Festival. You

can also listen to some of his tunes. Victor has written music

for theatrical plays, advertisements and movies. He runs UP

FM, the official radio station for the University of Patras, has a

diploma in sound engineering and regularly plans youth events.

Alexandros Morelas is the coach of the University of Patras

Debating Society since 2012 and was the Press Director of

Patras Open 2013. He has degrees in both biology and phar-

macology, and he currently works as a pharmasist. Alexan-

dros was the best speaker of the Aristotle University of

Thessaloniki National Championship in 2013, and a 3-times

finalist in the Greek national championships. He writes for pro-

tagon.gr, a well-read news opinion website in Greece, and lead-

ing national daily To Vima newspaper.

Vasilis Papadopoulos has graduated with honours from Uni-

versity of Athens, Medical School. As a debater, he has been

active for the last 4 years. He was the best speaker of the

University of Patras National Tournament 2013, winner of the

AUEB National Tournament (2012 & 2013) as well as of the

XLI Deree College Invitational in 2011. He has also been a

part of a number of finals in national debating tournaments,

both as a debater and an adjudicator.

Tahleel Lateef, a former Debating Officer at the Cambridge

Union Society, has organised seven international tours for

the Cambridge Union and the Cambridge Schools competi-

tions in 2011 and 2012 featuring 600 teams. He is currently

studying for an LLM in Islamic Law and Finance at the School

of Oriental and African Studies.

ADJUDICATION

Policy Highlights

- 3 DCAs to be appointed in 2014

- Adjudication core regional and language diversity a priority

- A minimum of 50000 euros in judge travel subsidies

- A further 22000 to subsidise a minimum of 70 judges

- At least 5 subsidised judges from each region

CA: Manos Moschopoulos

Manos Moschopoulos has served as the Chief Adjudica-

tor for a number of tournaments in Britain and Europe

and has run debating projects in Europe, the Middle East,

Central Asia and Africa. He has judged the ESL final of

EUDC 2012 and the finals of the Cambridge, SOAS and

Paris IVs. As a debater, he won the Best ESL Speaker tro-

phy at WUDC, the ESL competition at London Australs

and the Belgrade, Paris, Red Sea and Sciences Po Opens.

He also spoke in the EUDC ESL finals and the Cambridge

IV. Manos works as an International Programmes Officer

for IDEA.

DCA: Chris Bisset

Chris Bisset was recently the joint Best Speaker at Berlin

Worlds and the Champion and Best Speaker at Australs

in Wellington. He was also a DCA at UT Mara Australs

2013 and a DCA of the Australian Intervarsity Debating

Championships. At Worlds, Chris has been an open semi-

finalist and has judged the ESL grand final and chaired

the EFL semi-finals. Chris was an associate-editor of the

Monash Debating Review and was also the Training Of-

ficer and VP of the Monash Association of Debaters..

DCA: TASNEEM ELIAS

Tasneem Elias is a former WUDC ESL Champion, twice

Asians BP finalist and Top 10 Speaker, Singapore Debate

Open finalist and Top 10 speaker and Quarter-Finalist at

WUPID and Top 10 Speaker. Within Malaysia, she won Na-

tionals, MMU IV, IIU Open, was champion and best speaker

of the Malaysian Debate Open and the Womens IV. Tasneem

is a twice Worlds breaking adjudicator, DCA of Australs 2013,

Pan African Universities Debating Championship 2013, OIC

Debates, SMU Hammers, EF Malang Indonesia, Malaysian

Debate Open. CA of Womens IV, MMU IV as well as and ad-

judicated at debate tournaments in over 10 countries. She

is currently a debate coach and tournament coordinator with

QatarDebate.

Driving the debating side of things at Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 is our ded-

icated and diverse adjudication core.They’ll be joined by three DCAs ap-

pointed in keeping with the need to ensure regional, gender and language

diversity. All members of our team regularly attend competitions and will

continue to spreading debate to new communities, having run hundreds

of tournaments and workshops all over the world.

Adjudication Core

Our initial adjudication core is consisted of CA Manos Moschopoulos (Continental

Europe) and DCAs Chris Bisset (Oceania) and Tasneem Elias (Middle East and North

Africa)

We are firmly of the belief that a crucial aspect of merit in a CA-team is its ability to

represent the diversity of countries, regions, genders and language levels that com-

pete at WUDC. We will appoint the remaining three positions after an open applica-

tion and feedback process in a manner that reflects that diversity.

Given that we have three regions - Europe, Middle East and Africa and Oceania - rep-

resented already, we will seek to appoint one DCA from each of the remaining re-

gions, which are Asia, the Americas and IONA. We are committed to appointing the

most qualified candidates.

Adjudication Standards

Ensuring good adjudication at Worlds is essential, and Thessaloniki Worlds thrives

to provide the best possible adjudication. As such,Thessaloniki Worlds has scheduled

Pre-WUDC judging workshops to boost local judging capacity. We also aim to attract

and encourage the best possible pool of adjudicators to attend the tournament,

which is why we have been dedicated to securing the support of a diverse list of ex-

perienced international adjudicators.

Diversity in the Adjudication Pool

What is unique about Worlds is the interaction of all styles and cultures of debating.

To be a persuasive debater at Worlds, you must be able to engage and convince a

diverse range of adjudicators. As such, it will be a concern of our Adjudication Core

to ensure that panels of adjudicators are as regionally diverse as possible in the cir-

cumstances of the debate.

To ensure that the adjudication pool in its entirety remains diverse, regional and gen-

der diversity will be considered a relevant factor in assessing applications for inde-

ADJUDICATION POLICY

pendent adjudicator subsidies.Of course, these considerations will also be relevant

to the decision of which adjudicators break at the tournament.

We have 50,000 Euros minimum for judge travel funding. We have a minimum of

70 fully funded Independent Adjudicators, and we are committed to reflect diversity

as expressed through our minimum of 5 judges per region.

Rotation of Adjudicators

We are committed to a policy of adjudicator rotation to ensure the integrity of adju-

dication at all levels of the competition. Particularly towards the end of the tourna-

ment, ensuring that bubble rooms in each of the EFL, ESL and EPL breaks are

accommodated with experienced adjudicators becomes a delicate process. No other

debating tournament is as complex as Worlds in this regard.

We will develop an allocation algorithm that ensures that high performing judges are

rotated to enable more teams to benefit from their expertise and feedback. We recog-

nise that judges do their job better when they experience a greater range of debates

at a tournament.

Our commitment to a strong pool of independent judges allows us to have the flexi-

bility to maintain the integrity of bubble rooms while also ensuring all teams receive

high quality judging.

Adjudicator Feedback

A key aspect of our strategy is a more nuanced approach to feedback that differen-

tiates between the areas a judge is being reported on. This will allow us to target,

through our training program, the areas that newer judges would like to work on.

Judges that receive praise for the detail and quality of their feedback will also be pri-

oritised in our rotation formula to ensure that newer teams can benefit from their in-

sight regardless of the number of points they’re on.

We also guarantee that any feedback on adjudicators that is flagged as anomalous

or unexpected will be read by a member of our Adjudication Core. Feedback needs

to be understood and examined in context. Of course, debaters should be able to

pass judgement on their adjudicators but this feedback should not be used too rashly

or harshly to judge the overall quality and legitimacy of that adjudicator. To do so

would significantly reduce the goodwill between debaters and adjudicators at the

competition.

TRAINING BETWEEN ROUNDS

• Debrief as to speakers’ experiences in the debates

• Strategies as to how to approach the debate in the future

• How to approach similar debates i.e. set up, rebuttal of particular issues

• When crazy things are proposed/opposed, how to deal with those unpredictable

circumstances

• Filling the gaps in knowledge

• Workshopping speeches (e.g. redeliver their speech knowing a debate's context)

PRE TOURNAMENT

• 3 days of coaching with practice debates which will be workshopped. After each

debate is finished speakers will be asked to stand up again and deliver their

speeches working on particular weakenesses.

• Adjudicator camp for novice adjudicators (similar to the one run by Nita Rao at

Zimbabwean National Debating Championships 2013)

training

Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 aims to revolutionise the tournament's approach

to training, offering workshops before and during the competition to ensure

that all participants make the most out of the world's largest and best de-

bating experience.

Introduction to BP

Basics of debating- Structure of BP

- Role of speakers

- Role of each team

- Extensions

- Points of Information

- Scoring

Arguments & Rebuttal -Structuring an argument

-Analysing an argument to its logical conclusion

-Approaching rebuttal

-Different methods of rebutting an argument

Matter Session 1: Role of Government - Big government vs Small Government

- Middle position: Nudge theory

- Consent

Prep: How to use 15 minutes - How to use time most efficiently from any posi-

tion in the debate

Matter Session 2: Rights and Minority

Groups -Spectrum and trading rights

-How to make rights a significant issue in a de-

bate

-How to rebut rights based arguments

-Majoritarian views v minority views

-Formal equality v substantive equality

-Autonomy/Self determination

Maximise your manner -How to make sure you’re speaking most persua-

sively

Matter Session 3: International Rela-

tions -Dealing with rogue actors

-How to approach IR debates

-Military interventions

-Diplomacy

-Sanctions

-International organisations

Advanced Tactics How to win from Opening Government

Making your extension count

Tactical POIs

Matter Session 4: Criminal Justice Sys-

tem -Aims of CJS

-How to use them effectively in a debate

-Determining criminality

-Big Government approach

-Small Government approach

-Transitional governments e.g. truth and reconcili-

ation commissions v prosecution of war criminals

Matter Session 5: Economics -Basic economic principles

-Free market v intervention

-Global institutions e.g. IMF, WTO, World Bank

-Development

DIRECTOR OF TRAINING: nITA rao

Nita Rao, the current debating World Champion, will serve

as Director of Training for Thessaloniki WUDC 2016. Nita was

also a top ten speaker at WUDC 2013, a Semi Finalist at Aus-

trals 2009 and a quarter-final Chair at WUDC 2011. She has

trained debaters in Africa and Asia as part of her commitment

to spreading debate. Nita studies at Monash University in Aus-

tralia.

If you have any questions about or comments on our training programme, Nita is

happy to answer your questions by e-mail at nita.rao0112@gmail.com

EDWIN ‘CLANSMAN’ LAW

Edwin "Clansman" Law is one of the most experienced tab-

ulation masters in the debating circuit, having built a few tab

systems of his own, and is also a main contributor to 3tab.

By Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 he will have tabulated 3 Worlds

- in 2005, 2011, and 2015 - three Australs - in 2003, 2008,

and 2013 - and one Asians - in 2012.

Outside of debating he has spent 10 years in academia, teaching Information Tech-

nology and conducting research in Artificial Intelligence. He recently joined the Data

and Analytics department of a Malaysian Transportation Startup.

TABULATION

Andy Hume was DCA of WUDC 2000 and CA of WUDC

2001. He won the World Universities Debating Champi-

onship (WUDC) in 1997 for Glasgow University and is a

three-time Grand Final adjudicator at the competition, in-

cluding the previous visit of Worlds to Greece in 1998. He

was a regular finalist and winner of regional and national de-

bating tournaments. Andy has judged in tournaments all over

the world, including the finals of competitions at Oxford and

Cambridge, national schools debating competitions, and the

John Smith Memorial Mace (the UK and Ireland national

championships). He has also adjudicated the Grand Final of the European Universi-

ties Debating Championship on four occasions. He was Secretary of the World Uni-

versity Debating Committee in 2000-1 and has served as a consultant on the

organising committee for both championships. He is the author of the rules for the

Public Speaking Competition at the World Universities Debating Championship. Andy

has extensive experience of debates coaching with school and university students,

throughout Europe and Asia. He currently lives and works in Seoul.

advisory board

Elle Jones has been a WUDC grand-finalist and top-ten

speaker, while at Australs has been a semi-finalist and best

speaker. As a judge she has broken at Worlds twice and

judged to the open semi finals and has been on the adjudi-

cation core of Australs and the Australasian Womens Cham-

pionships. She has a wide range of organisational experience

as the director of debates at the USU and has been heavily

involved in preparing bids for WUDC in the past.

Doug Cochran was the Chief Adjudicator for Berlin WUDC

2013. Doug has won a remarkable number of tournaments

and reached three WUDC semi-finals and one EUDC grand

final, and was a DCA for the EUDC 2010 in Amsterdam. He

studied Economics and International Relations at the Univer-

sity of St Andrews, then law at Cambridge. Having finished

bar school last year at BPP, with Middle Temple being his Inn

of Court, he currently works for the Competition Commission.

Madeline Schultz has been a WUDC semi-finalist and top-

ten speaker and has also been in top ten speakers while

winning Australs in Wellington. She has extensive judging

credentials in Australasia including being on the AEO and

ABP adjudication cores. She has been selected for a WUDC

adjudication core and has worked extensively with Worlds

Council over the past two years on some important reforms

to the tournment.

Michael Shapira is Deputy Chief Adjudicator for Chennai

WUDC 2014 as well as Chief Adjudicator for Vienna EUDC

2015. He was the WUDC ESL Champion in 2011 and the

winner and finalist of numerous debating competitions.

Michael has been on the core adjudication of a remarkable

amount tournaments in Europe and judged the ESL final of

EUDC both in Galway 2011 and Belgrade 2012. He studied

History and Philosophy in the University of Haifa.

Steven Nolan, DCA of EUDC 2011, has been involved in de-

bating for over 13 years, as a speaker, judge, coach and

competition and event organiser. Steven has coached in over

15 countries, and worked with young people and adult of all

backgrounds and ability levels. He is a EUDC Finalist, a WUDC

Octo-Finalist and semi final judge, and has been president of

the European University Debating Council, and a member of

the steering committee of Cork WUDC 2009.

rogier baart

Studied Law at Leiden University and Monash University. He

has been training and development officer for the Leiden

Debating Union from 2009 till 2011, and has been very in-

volved with providing workshops and training to other univer-

sity and high-school debating societies in both the

Netherlands and Europe.

As a debater he was a WUDC ESL finalist and top 10 speaker

in both 2012 and 2013 and was awarded best speaker in the

final in 2013. He won the Oxford IV ESL final in 2009 and

2011, was a EUDC ESL semi finalist and top 10 speaker in

2011. He also won a number of international tournaments including the SOAS IV,

Bremen Open, Cardiff IV and UCU Open.

He has been on the CA-team of the Tilbury House Open 2013, Bremen Open 2013,

University Collage Dublin vice president cup 2012 and the Leiden Open.

equity OFFICERS

sadhana rai

Sadhana, DCA of Otago Australs 2014, is a grand finalist of

Australs and an Asian Champion.

She won the United Asians Debating Championship and

made it to the grand finals of Asians BP. She's also ranked

as the 3rd best speaker in Asia. She has also won a myriad

of regional IVs like SMU Hammers and NTU Dorothy Chongs.

Sadhana was a grand finals adjudicator of Australs in 2009.

She was also the Head of Training for the NUS Debate Club.

We are looking to expand both our equity and language teams in the near

future. New officers will be announced on thessaloniki2016.com

gemma buckley

Gemma Buckley has been a WUDC semi-finalist, an Australs

grand-finalist and top ten speaker. She has been Australia’s

representative on World Council, been the president of

Monash Association of Debaters and worked extensively on

training programs on three continents. She has researched

and written on a variety of challenges facing ESL and EFL

speakers in debating circles and is well placed to help ensure

that our tournament provides fairness and integrity to all three of the breaks at WUDC.

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boby andika ruitang

Boby Andika Ruitang is a very active member in the Indonesian

and Asian debating circuit since 2007. He has served as a part

of Adjudication Core for 31 (yes, thirty one!) national & regional

Schools, IVs, and Open tournaments. He also adjudicated the

Grand Finals of UT Mara Australs 2013 (ESL), Beijing Asian BP

2013, and Hong Kong Debate Open 2013. As a debater, he was

Champion & top 10 speaker of Indonesia Debate Open, twice

Grand Finalist of Jakarta Mini and was the Overall Best Speaker in 2012. Having been

a Tournament Director for 4 different national tournaments when he was still a fresh-

man, Boby is no stranger to tournament organizing. He was also appointed as the Lan-

guage Officer in the recent Asian BP in Beijing. Aside from debating and judging, Boby

also gives workshops and training to new & developing debating clubs in Indonesia.

HYEWON RHO

Hyewon Rho is a senior majoring in International Studies and

Russian Language and Literature at Korea University in Seoul,

South Korea. Her debate career began in 2006 at the first

Korea High School Debating Championship where she went

onto be a part of the national team representing Korea at Worlds

Schools Debating Championship in Wales. Her achievements as

a debater include Champion and three-time Finalist of Northeast Asian Open 2009 to

2012 and Champion of KIDA (Korea Intervarsity Debate Association) National Champi-

onship in 2010. Aside from actively engaging in debate as a participant, she has been

the DCA of Northeast Asian Open 2013, DCA of Asians BP 2014 and CA of KIDA National

Championship (Korean nationals) 2014. When not debating, Hyewon enjoys getting lost

and wandering in random corners of the world while madly recording her journeys in her

sturdy journal.

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