Heart of Europe Debating Tournament

A Brief History of the Heart of Europe Tournament

The Heart of Europe Debating Tournament (HOEDT) is a WSDC (World Schools Deabting Championships) based tournament which was established by John L. Wickham and the students of Olomouc - Hejcin High School as a competition for high school students of European countries which had participated in the KPDP (Karl Popper Debate Program), established by OSI (Open Society Institute), but after some time it became a truly global competition for high school debaters. The first Heart of Europe Debating Tournament was held in Olomouc, Czech Republic in 2001. The event attracted participants from Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In 2002 the tournament wasn't set up because the organizers were not able to obtain the necessary funding. Nonetheless, a year later, in 2003, the second year of the tournament was held. Every time since then it has been hosted in Olomouc, Czech Republic. Since 2004 it is organised by the Debate Club Olomouc NGO/NPO which was also established by the students of Olomouc – Hejcin High School. Heart of Europe has lately become an annual event.

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