The English Debating circuit of Bangladesh is currently on a phenomenal purple patch. In the last few years, debaters from Bangladesh have won several international championships including the Asian British Parliamentary in 2017 and the United Asian Debating Championship in 2018. Not only that, they have made it to the knockout rounds of World Universities Debating Championship on consecutive years. Spearheading this revolution are debaters from the Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka (IBA-DU).
However, the groundwork of all these successes was built over the last two decades by several revolutionary figures who put in years of hard work, overcame structural and linguistic barriers, and left no stone unturned to create a more accessible platform for the generations to follow. To honour their contributions and relive their memorable debating careers, Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka will be hosting IBA Legacies 2019 on December 21 and 22.
IBA Legacies will be a British Parliamentary tournament, which means there will be four teams, each comprising two members, facing each other in every round. The motions for each round will be given only 15 minutes prior to the start of the round. In total there will be 16 teams, featuring stalwarts from IBA-DU, Independent University Bangladesh (IUB), Chittagong University (CU), BRAC University, North South University (NSU), Islamic University of Technology (IUT), and Dhaka University (DU). The event is being hosted by the Debate Wing of IBA Communications Club, also known as IBACC.
Due to its unique nature of participation, IBA Legacies 2019 will be an exclusive and breathtaking experience for all involved. Legendary debaters who are currently professionals, including a few who are living and working abroad, will return to the podium and proudly represent their past institutions. They will put aside time from their tight schedule to defend the legacies they have worked tirelessly to build and to relive the rivalries that defined their careers. Newer generations of debaters observing the tournament will get to witness many of these icons for perhaps the first time in their lives.
IBA Legacies 2019 will serve as a testament to the strong bond within the English Debating Community of Bangladesh, a bond that still resonates with people who have long since stepped aside from active debating.
The writer is a first year student of BBA programme at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka. He is also a member of IBA Legacies 2019 Organising Committee. He can be reached at [email protected]
