Team Northern Ireland Wins at ICYD 2024 in Oxford

The Northern Ireland Schools Speech & Debate Association (NISSDA) achieved a historic milestone at the 2024 International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD), winning the Open Championship Trophy for the first time in its history.

The winning team comprised Aoife Gallagher of Methodist College Belfast and Tejas Pugalia of Lecale Trinity Grammar School, who delivered an outstanding performance to secure the championship. Their individual achievements were equally impressive, with Tejas Pugalia being ranked Best Speaker and Aoife Gallagher securing third place in the Best Speaker rankings.

The team was coached by Advika Sadasivan, an Economics and Philosophy student at Stanford University, and Daud Kharal, a student at Lahore University of Management Sciences.

This historic victory builds on NISSDA's consistent record of success at ICYD, following three consecutive semifinalist finishes from 2021 onwards. Winning the Open Championship marks a significant achievement for the association and reflects its sustained excellence on the international debating stage.

These accomplishments highlight NISSDA's continued commitment to high-quality training, rigorous preparation, and representing Northern Ireland with distinction at the highest levels of international debating.

NISSDA runs annual open trials to select and train teams for ICYD, the World Schools Debating Championships and other international tournaments. Schools interested in nominating pupils for future competitions are encouraged to get in touch through the contact page.

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