Sponsored adjudicators for WSDC in Qatar 8-18 February 2010

Simon Quinn and Chris Erskine, Chief Adjudicators for Qatar, write:

Hi everyone,

We have, in consultation with the Chief Adjudicators' Panel, now decided the 30 adjudicators who will receive sponsored positions at next year's World Schools Championships. We attach the list.

Principles for the decision

We would like to thank everyone for applying for these positions. We received 141 applications from 38 countries, and the standard of applications was generally outstanding. Of the 141 applicants, 65 have adjudicated previously at WSDC, of whom two have served as Chief Adjudicator, five have been members of the Chief Adjudicators' Panel and more than a dozen have judged grand finals or semi-finals of the championship. The final decision was therefore a very difficult one.

You will recall that we earlier circulated a summary of the "principles for assessing applications for sponsored adjudication positions", which we attach again now. That document set out a three-step procedure for selecting the 30 adjudicators, designed to balance two criteria: choosing the most experienced and competent judges, and choosing judges to reflect cultural and other diversity within the championships. The three-step procedure was: (i) we decided whether an applicant was likely to be assessed as suitable to judge from Round One; (ii) we ranked adjudicators according to proven adjudication experience and demonstrated competence, and selected the first 10 on that list; and (iii) we assigned the remaining 20 places on the basis of the same list, but so that no applicant was selected from a country already represented in the list. This procedure was followed without exception.

In assessing "proven adjudication experience and demonstrated competence", we were closely guided by objective measures of adjudication experience --- for example, experience as a Chief Adjudicator of WSDC, experience as a member of the Chief Adjudicators' Panel of WSDC, experience in judging finals rounds at WSDC, other experience at WSDC, outstanding experience at other debating tournaments, etc.

In the case of applicants eligible to be associated with more than one country, we took an applicant's own preferred affiliation as the relevant affiliation unless the applicant's background showed a significant affiliation with another nation as well as, or instead of, the applicant's preferred affiliation. This approach was already set out in the selection principles. In applying this principle, we decided that (i) an applicant would be entitled to claim affiliation with his or her country of nationality, and (ii) an applicant would also be considered eligible for a different country only if the applicant had a significant and ongoing relationship with debating in that country. Several applicants listed countries of affiliation that, in our opinion, did not meet this second test; in that case, we nonetheless considered the application, under the applicant's country of nationality. Several applicants were eligible for affiliation with more than one country.


Should a sponsored adjudicator withdraw before the tournament, we intend -- with the Chief Adjudicators' Panel -- to apply similar criteria, as far as possible, in order to select a replacement.


An invitation to Qatar

Even though we were not able to select everybody who applied, almost all applicants were assessed as likely to be able to judge from Round One in Qatar. We would, therefore, like to encourage everybody to come to Qatar as adjudicators for national delegations. Please remember that QatarDebate intends to pay for the full registrations of eight people from each country, which will include debaters, coaches and adjudicators. In addition, QatarDebate intends that any unused registrations from a country will be pooled and made available to additional adjudicators from other countries. If you are eligible for free registration, you will therefore need only to pay the airfare.

We were particularly impressed by the large number of applications from recent participants who were keen to return to the championship and to continue their contribution to it. While many of these applicants may not currently have the proven experience of some applicants who were selected, we would like particularly to encourage them to adjudicate in the championship in future years, including in Qatar.


Next steps

The 30 adjudicators chosen for sponsored positions will be contacted in due course by QatarDebate to organise details for flights, etc. Please let us know as soon as possible if you have been chosen for a sponsored position but are unable to attend; please also let us know if you change your e-mail address.

General registration for the tournament -- including registration for adjudicators --will open soon, once the tournament website is launched. We will look forward to contacting you again once this is ready.

And, most importantly, we look forward to seeing you in Qatar!



Regards,

Simon Quinn and Chris Erskine (Chief Adjudicators, WSDC 2010)