Brac University team wins Cambridge debate tournament 

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The first-ever feat for any Bangladeshi team was achieved by a debating duo from Brac University who secured the prestigious championship of Cambridge Intervarsity (VI) 2021 debating tournament held in November. Known as one of the most competitive and respected debating competitions in the world, it was organised by the Cambridge Union – the renowned Cambridge debating society. Sajid Asbat Khandaker (postgraduate, MSAE) and Sourodip Paul (postgraduate, MSAE) came out victorious from a pool of 124 teams participating from universities around the world. Surpassing teams from institutions such as Harvard University, Imperial College London, and Cornell University, the champion team proudly put BracU and Bangladesh on the global map. 

The pair, who have been debating together for 4 years, defended their notion against transhumanism convincingly at the final stage.  They debated through the intricacies and nuances of a radically divisive topic. Teams from Imperial College London, McGill University, and Ateneo de Manila University joined the BracU representatives in the finals. In the end, Sajid Asbat Khandaker was named the best English-as-a-second-language (ESL) speaker and 4th best speaker overall. His teammate, Sourodip Paul was the 2nd best ESL speaker and 8th best speaker overall.