Young Bermudians debated terrorism, animal rights and several other topics with debaters from more than 70 other countries this week.

Christianna Dakin, a coach for Team Bermuda, said five Bermudians travelled to Nairobi, Kenya, for the World Schools Debate Championship, which ends tomorrow.

The team comprised Warwick Academy alumna Annie Pusell, recent Somersfield Academy graduate Zarah Siddiqi, Saltus Grammar School student Christopher Madeiros, Iona Van Neikerk, a student at the Bermuda High School for Girls, and Saltus graduate Marley Tear.

The team won a prepared debate against Saudi Arabia that addressed Kenya’s special economic zones, but lost a discussion about classifying organised crime groups as terrorist organisations to debaters from Singapore.

Debaters had one hour to research and present a case for or against a topic in the next six rounds of the contest.

Team Bermuda lost to Team Australia in a debate about AI companies’ use of flattery and were also defeated when debating South Sudan on whether animal rights activists should break the law to defend animals.

They also lost to Mozambique and the Dominican Republic on respective debates about whether fans should veto decisions by sports clubs and if suffering builds character.

However, Bermudian debaters were victorious when debating Ecuador on whether high-income governments should supply housing vouchers instead of building social housing and won a discussion against Sudan on whether Western views on feminism have done more harm than good.

Charmaign Dill, of the Bermuda Debate Society, travelled with Ms Dakin and Team Bermuda to serve as an adjudicator during the tournament.

Ms Dakin explained: “Ms Dill’s schedule was just as busy as the debaters, as they scheduled her for almost every round of the first eight debates and additionally required multiple hours of training and assessment which was no small feat, and we are incredibly grateful for her support and commitment to the students and to furthering debate in Bermuda.”

She added that Team Bermuda did “incredibly well” in the tournament, despite being eliminated before the knockout round, especially given the size of Australia, China and other much larger countries.

Reflecting on the tournament, Ms Dakin said: “This is the first time WSDC has been hosted in East Africa and there were a record number of teams of 74.

“The hosts not only facilitated an amazing and robust debate tournament for all of these debaters aged 14 to 19, but also provided unforgettable cultural experiences

Information about training for next year’s tournament, set to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, will be provided in September.