ANU has again excelled at the Asian Arabic Debating Championship 2025 with the team winning in their category of non-native speakers.

The three students, who are all 3rd year Arabic language students, participated in the internationally renowned championships, which this year was held in Muscat, Oman from 27 October to 1 November 2025.

Organised by Qatar Debates, the Championships this year consisted of about 32 teams; the majority of whom are native speakers. 

But as Leila Kouatly, the convenor of ANU’s Arabic program, noted, the ANU team was not deterred by the native-speaking status of the majority of the entrants.

“The ANU team have really embraced the challenge of the championships with great enthusiasm and have been preparing relentlessly since July. This preparation has clearly paid off with the team winning in their category in the face of very strong competition.”

The team, which includes Ruba Nazzal (Diploma of Languages), Callum Hogden (Bachelor of Engineering) and John Elphick (Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science), have regularly met, up to three times per week, since July in anticipation of the event.

During these practice sessions, they have had friendly practice debates on Zoom with teams from Indonesia and Kuwait. These mock debates helped boost their confidence and preparations for the upcoming championship. 

“I am extremely proud of their progress and the positive team spirit they brought to each practice session,” Ms Kouatly concluded.