Sri Lankan Schools Debating Team Achieves Historic First Place Finish at World Championship

Sri Lanka's national schools debating team ranked first out of over 80 countries after preliminary rounds at the World Schools Debating Championship in Kenya, marking the strongest performance in the country's debating history.

Sri Lanka's national schools debating team has set a new benchmark for the country at the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) 2026, held in Nairobi, Kenya from July 14-24. The five-member team secured first place in the preliminary rounds after winning seven of eight debates, surpassing the previous national record of fourth place achieved in 2023.

The team faced competition from over 80 countries with more than 700 participants. During preliminary rounds, Sri Lankan debaters contended against leading international teams including representatives from South Korea, Hong Kong, Canada, and New Zealand, addressing topics ranging from the role of sport in society to global economics and international affairs. Individual performances proved exceptional as well: Savith Wijesundara from Elizabeth Moir School finished fourth globally as best speaker and topped the English as a Second Language (ESL) category, while Rudhesh Ram from Colombo International School placed seventh globally, and Adam Dhilshan from Royal College ranked sixth in the ESL category.

The team's composition included Wijesundara, Ram, Dhilshan, T. Tharaniharan from Royal College, and Apoorva Jinadasa from Hillwood College, coached by Shalem Sumanthiran, Sachin Tissera and Kavindra Senaratna. According to the Debaters' Council of Sri Lanka, the selection process involved a rigorous year-long programme including participation in over 15 endorsed tournaments before final team selection.

Unlike many competing national teams that receive government funding, Sri Lanka's delegation was self-funded through joint support from the Debaters' Council and families of the selected students. The Council primarily finances international participation through revenue generated by the South Asian Schools Debating Championship, an online tournament run entirely by volunteers.