NUS Team Makes History with First Singapore Win at Australasian Debate Contest

The National University of Singapore (NUS) team, consisting of Mr. Cavan Tay, Ms. Rei Ya Yeo, and Mr. Justin Tay, emerged victorious in the South China Australasian Intervarsity Debate Championships (Australs) for the first time in Singapore's history. The grand final saw them defeating a team from the Australian National University on July 12. The competition, held in Guangzhou, China, featured 50 teams.

The NUS TTY team debated against the motion of whether Pacific Island nations should prioritize buying land from neighboring developing countries over seeking permanent residence in developed countries as a response to rising sea levels. They argued against the motion and secured a win with five out of seven judges voting in their favor.

Mr. Cavan Tay, an incoming year 4 student majoring in business administration, made history by winning two individual awards - Overall Best Speaker and Best Speaker In The Grand Final. Teammate Justin, a politics, philosophy, and economics major, was recognized as the Best Reply Speaker.

This victory marks the NUS English Debate Team's third consecutive win at a major debate competition. Their next challenge is the World Universities Debating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, in December. NUS had also sent another team, the NUS CDL team, to compete at the Australs, where Mr. Chai and Ms. Dillon were ranked among the top 10 speakers.

According to the source: The Straits Times.