Sunday 26 / April / 2026
Muscat: The 9th edition of the National Debating Championship concluded on Sunday.
The event was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth in cooperation with Oman Debates Centre, with the participation of a group of young debaters representing various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman.
The championship featured constructive intellectual dialogues addressing diverse societal issues.
The results culminated in Sultan Qaboos University winning first place in the category for universities, colleges, and sports clubs, while the North Al Batinah Education Directorate team secured first place in the schools category.
Additionally, the top 10 speakers—five from each category—were selected in recognition of their outstanding performance in persuasion, critical thinking, and the art of oratory.
The championship, which concluded under the auspices of Sayyid Said Sultan Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Culture, comes within the framework of efforts by the Ministry and the Oman Debates Center to establish a culture of objective dialogue and enhance the capabilities of youth in the fields of conscious discussion and the arts of debate.
Salim Mutair Al Shamakhi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Oman Debates Center, stated that since the inception of the idea in 2016, the Center has worked to instill the art of debating within the consciousness of Omani youth.
He noted that the objective was to create a culture, build a mindset, and establish a generation that believes dialogue is a method stemming from the heart of our nature as an Omani society, offering ideas through the best possible means.
He added that the Centre has worked on organising and improving the versions of the National Debating Championship, expanding its target categories, and integrating it with training programs for trainers, debaters, and judges.
He emphasised the keenness to diversify topics to touch upon reality and youth interests. This edition commenced with the first station, which brought together the governorates of Al Buraimi, North Al Batinah, Musandam, and Al Dhahirah.
Work continued in the second station, which included the governorates of Muscat, South Al Batinah, Al Dakhiliyah, North Al Sharqiyah, and South Al Sharqiyah, before concluding the championship stages in the governorates of Dhofar and Al Wusta, targeting students of schools, universities, colleges, and sports and cultural clubs.
He explained that the Center has expanded its partnerships with local government and private institutions, as well as cooperation with international debate community organisations.
He highlighted the importance of keeping communication channels open to ensure mutual benefit, noting that the Sultanate of Oman’s involvement in international efforts in this field led to Muscat hosting two editions of the Asian Debate Championship.
For her part, Wadha Mohammed Al Farsi, Director of the Department of Youth Communication and Dialogue at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, confirmed that this championship is one of the youth projects that the Ministry is keen to organize annually.
The goal is to empower youth and enhance their skills in dialogue, critical thinking, and logical analysis, while solidifying a culture of constructive discussion.
She added that the topics of the championship in this edition shed light on various subjects and issues covering multiple fields, such as artificial intelligence, social development, the environment, health, education, culture, industry, and mining, reflecting the link between debates and contemporary national issues.
It is worth noting that this championship saw the participation of 12 teams representing schools and 88 teams representing universities, colleges, and sports clubs.
These teams competed in the preliminary rounds and engaged in competitive matches since the beginning of this month, leading up to the final qualifications.
