Under the patronage and in the presence of Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, the Fourth International Schools Arabic Debating Championship was concluded on Wednesday evening 11 April 2018. The event was held at the Qatar National Convention Centre from 7-11 April with the participation of 50 Arab and non-Arab countries.
The closing ceremony was attended by HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad; Mrs. Machaille Al-Naimi, President of Community Development; Dr. Hayat Maarafi, Executive Director of QatarDebate Center; along with a number of Excellencies, Arab and foreign ambassadors in Qatar, representatives of official sponsors, participants and guests from all segments of the society.
The Turkish team came first in the finals of the Fourth International Schools Arabic Debating Championship. The winning team received a phone call from HE Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey, who congratulated the Turkish team for winning the tournament, and praised the level of skills shown by the Turkish students during the competitions.
Notably, the team of Lebanon came second, and the Team of Oman came third in the tournament.
In her comment, Dr. Hayat Maarafi commended “the QatarDebate Center for being an educational and training edifice disseminating the concepts of debating and dialogue in the Arab region and the world. The Center emerged from the beacon of culture and the home of intellectual creativity and civilized interaction, namely the State of Qatar.”
She added in her remarks during the ceremony, “We today crown our beloved Qatar as a champion in disseminating free thinking and in hosting these large numbers of contestants, as Qatar has won in enlightening minds and heart and attracting the elite intellectuals like you.” She noted that those elite are the wealth that will always remain, grow and flourish.
Concluding her remarks, she thanked all the entities that supported and participated in the success of the event, and on top of those the leadership of Qatar Foundation represented by Her Highness Sheikha Moza; HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad for hosting the event and attending the ceremony; and Mrs. Machaille Al-Naimi, President of Community Development for her confidence in QatarDebate Center.
She also thanked the sponsors of the championship including: Qatar Primary Materials Company; the international media partner, Al Jazeera Media Network; and the official airline partner Qatar Airways.
Meanwhile, Mohammed al Lakhn al Marri, noted in his remarks, “the championship was one that enriched intellect, brought viewpoints together, and presented content in a brief manner. We meet every year to reaffirm our commitment and dedication to disseminating the art of debate in a time of differences, with the aim to make it more acceptable and attractive.”