Tournament in Minsk joins debaters from far and wide

On October 24th and 25th, debaters gathered from various regions to participate in the recent tournament held in Minsk, Belarus. Participants came from as near as Minsk, and from as far away as Grodno and Baranovichi, and other cities. A team from Yakutsk, Russia traveled 9,000 kilometers, not only to debate, but to also share some of their cultural traditions. At the tournament's opening ceremony, the team prepared a presentation of some of their national traditions, such as the Yakut dance, cultural songs, and their national instrument, the "Hamus."

The tournament itself discussed problematic issues of modern society, as participants discovered new ways of communicating across cultures. The debates were held in the Minsk Gymnasia #7, and discussed the motion, "Genetically modified foods are in the public interest." The finalists included a team from Minsk and another team from Borisov, Bulgaria. In the end, local participants, Kirill Burko and Irina Fedorova, from Minsk won the final debate. However, the enriching cultural exchanges at the tournament gave all debaters a winning experience.