Team Hong Kong has just returned from the World Individuals Debating and Public Speaking Championship (WIDPSC) 2023, following a week of intense competition in Durban, South Africa. A hearty congratulations to the competitors for valiantly and eloquently representing Hong Kong through eight rounds of preliminaries, two flights of finals and a Grand Finals, and below are the results:
Adele Li (HK01) – Chinese International School
Tingting Zhang (HK02) – Chinese International School
– Finalist — Parliamentary Debating
Andrea Chow (HK03) – Renaissance College Hong Kong
Evan Chow (HK04) – Diocesan Boys’ School
Mark Jin-kang Lee (HK05) – Diocesan Boys’ School
– 8th Overall Best Speaker
– Finalist — After Dinner Speaking
– Finalist — Interpretive Reading
Christine Lam (HK06) – Hong Kong International School
– Grand Finalist and 1st Runner Up — After Dinner Speaking
– Finalist — After Dinner Speaking
– Finalist — Parliamentary Debating
Peony Sham (HK07) – Harrow International School Hong Kong
– 7th Overall Best Speaker
– Finalist — Persuasive Speaking
– Finalist — Interpretive Reading
– Finalist — Impromptu Speaking
Cynthia Huang (HK08) – Hong Kong International School
– Finalist — Interpretive Reading
Nandini Tatiwala (HK09) – Hong Kong International School
Hilary Yeuk-Hey Tam (HK10) – Diocesan Girls’ School
– 12th Overall Best Speaker
– Finalist — Impromptu Speaking
Lily Haylett (HK11) – South Island School
Vijay Narayanan (HK12) – Island School
Transitioning to our first offline tournament was challenging, compounded by the 26-hour flight it took for us to travel to Durban and land the night before Day 1. Not only did the team soldier on, but they quickly adapted and forged great friendships with their fellow speakers on the world stage.
Thanks must be given to the Hong Kong Debate and Speech Community (HKDSC) for logistics support with the Open Trials, and to the coaches who held weekly trainings – Ms Joan Cho, Ms Lilian Chow, Mr Leo Zen, Mr Kenneth Chan, Ms My-Thanh Mac, Markandeya Karthik, Jason Wong, Maki Flauta, Megan Chan, Nicholas Chung, Chloe Yeung. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the two parent chaperones, Thomas and April, for their endless support for our students in the past few weeks.
Finally, and most importantly, thanks must go to Mr Shaun McCabe and the Clifton School, for hosting this first offline tournament since 2019, allowing the 12 students from Hong Kong to have the experience of a lifetime. We can’t wait to be back again next year.
