OVEP Debater

The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, under the subject of Olympic Value Education Programme, initiated an Inter-school Debate Programme, in consultation with the International Olympic Committee, in order to promote Olympic Educational Values - Joy of Effort, Fair Play, Respect for Others, Pursuit of Excellence, Balance between Body, Will and Mind. The NOC Sri Lanka invites schools around Sri Lanka to encourage students to research, learn, develop opinions and arguments and advocate spreading of Olympic Education Values among society.

Project objectives

One of the main objectives of this project is to enrich the learning culture of the entire school system in Sri Lanka and more specifically it expects;

    ' To encourage mass participation and to expand opportunities for sport and play.

    ' To create an awareness of which the father of Modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertain, called “the democracy of youth” rather than limiting to competitive nature of sport and physical exertion.

    ' To promote and develop opportunities that genuinely educate and assist individuals to gain knowledge.

    ' To achieve a high standard of sportsmanship that Pierre de Coubertin called “the new code of chivalry”.

    ' To inculcate ethnic harmony and cultural exchange by respecting different views and ideas.

    ' To achieve excellence through propagating Olympic Values.

    ' To initiate public debate on Olympic Values towards sport and culture.

    ' To strengthen the ethical foundation of sport, culture and education with a blend of Olympism as a way of life.

Primary stakeholders and their roles

    ' National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka: Taking overall responsibility for the project and supervising overall smooth running.

    ' Media: Providing publication services for the debate programme and giving publicity for it within the territory of Sri Lanka.

    ' Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka: Providing assistance to select suitable schools in Kandy and Colombo, where the best debaters can be found for the programme

    ' International Olympic Committee: The role of funding and monitoring to accomplish the programme successfully through the school students.

Debate Methods: The Karl-Popper method

Karl-Popper Debate format focuses on the relevant and often deeply divisive propositions emphasizing the development of critical thinking skills, and the tolerance for differing viewpoints. To facilitate these goals, debaters work together in a team of three, and research the issues of both sides.

Number of debaters in a team – 3
Number of teams in the debate – 2

Each team is given the opportunity to offer arguments and direct questions to the opposing team. Judges then offer constructive feedback, commenting on logical flows, insufficient evidence, or arguments that debaters may have overlooked.

Olympic Educational Values

Joy of effort: Young people develop and practice physical, behavioural and intellectual skills by challenging themselves and each other in physical activities, movement, games and sport.

Fair play: Fair play is a sports concept, but it is applied worldwide today in many different ways. Learning to play fair in sport can lead to the development and reinforcement of fair play behavior in one’s community and in one’s life.

Respect for others: When young people who live in a multicultural world learn to accept and respect diversity and practice peaceful personal behaviour, they promote peace and international understanding.

Pursuit of excellence: A focus on excellence can help young people to make positive, healthy choices, and strive to become the best that they can be in whatever they do.

Balance between body, will and mind: Learning takes place in the whole body, not just in the mind and physical literacy and learning through movement contribute to the development of both moral and intellectual learning. This concept was the cornerstone of Pierre de Coubertin’s interest in reviving the Olympic Games.