The Rector Opened the World Debating Championship at the UNWE
In the last days of the year the UNWE opened its doors to the World Universities Debating Championship - WUDC 2026 organized by the Bulgarian Debating Association and, in particular, by three enthusiasts - Rumen Marinov, Maxim Zangov, and Nikolay Angelov. Rumen and Nikolay are finalists from the World Championship in Madrid, and Rumen is also a graduate of UNWE completed a degree in Business Economics.
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| Nikolay Angelov, Maxim Zangov, the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov and Rumen Marinov |
For the first time, not only the University but also Bulgaria is the hosting of this large-scale competition.
“In fact, it has been in preparation for the last 15 years, since debates first started in Bulgaria. We have been dreaming about this day for many, many years. We have talked about it, and now, seeing that it has actually happened, seeing so many participants — the feeling is truly incredible”, said Rumen Marinov from the stage in Maxima Aula and announced some impressive figures for the tournament - 320 teams and 280 judges. “The tournament is about 60% larger than the last WUDC and it is actually the largest tournament since the COVID-19 pandemic. it just shows how vibrant, developing and sustainable is our global community.”
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“However, none of this would have been possible without the help of the University of National and World Economy. It not only provides for us one of the most modern and high-tech spaces for carrying out the debates, but it also meets all our needs as well—streaming, electronic systems, accessibility and all those little details that actually make the tournament possible. In addition, the University is also a very important partner of ours – of the Bulgarian Debate Association /BDA/ – and supports us not only for this tournament, but also for international tournaments such as the Sofia Open and other national tournaments that we organize", added Rumen Marinov.
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Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov began his speech with an exclamation of admiration about the full hall: “Welcome to this very old and prestigious university, which this year celebrates its 105th Anniversary, having many distinguished alumni – behind this hall you can see our Wall of Fame with, perhaps, about 150 Ministers who graduated from this business university, as well as 12 Prime Ministers. We are very proud of our alumni, as well as the fact that some of them are involved in organizing this impressive tournament. When we learned a few years ago that some of our graduates were very active in these debate tournaments, we quickly got in touch and established a fruitful collaboration".
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The Rector told that when he was asked whether the University would host this championship, the decision was made without hesitation that this was a very interesting and wonderful event and should take place at the UNWE. “I want to greet you on your courage and bravery to come to Bulgaria, travel during the Christmas holidays and participate in this world championship. The applause is for you. I wish you success. I know that there will only be a few champions, but in any case, the participation is extremely important”, concluded Prof. Dimitrov. He joked that if the university administration had had the opportunity to participate, it would certainly have won.
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The World Universities Debating Championship - WUDC has a long history. It has been held since 1980 and takes the form of a British parliamentary debate. The Bulgarian Debating Association /BDA/ was founded in 2011 and it is the backbone of the development of debating in Bulgaria. Over 10 000 people have officially participated in events organized by the BDA.
The BDA organizes numerous national events, hosted the EUDC in 2023, and has hosted the Sofia Open since 2014. The BDA has produced finalists at the WUDC and WSDC, as well as EUDC Champions.
