Sultan Qaboos University secured first place in the universities, colleges and sports clubs category at the conclusion of the ninth National Debating Championship. The competition was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in collaboration with the Oman Debates Centre, and featured 20 teams: 6 representing schools and 14 representing universities, colleges and clubs.

The university team comprised students Sara bint Abdullah Al-Balushi, Sara bint Ahmed Al-Farsi, Imran bin Salim Al-Mahrouqi, and Maryam bint Ammar Al-Balushi, under the supervision of Dr. Said bin Mohammed Al-Maktoumi.

The championship aimed to empower young people and enhance their skills in dialogue, critical thinking and logical analysis, while promoting a culture of constructive debate.

This year’s topics centred on the objectives of Oman Vision 2040, covering a range of fields including artificial intelligence, social development, the environment and health, education, culture, and industry and mining.

It is worth noting that 12 school teams and 88 teams from universities, colleges and sports clubs participated in the competition. All of whom competed in the preliminary rounds and progressed through a series of debates from early April to the final stage.