Thursday 29 / August / 2024
Muscat: It is considered to be a celebration of learning. The World Scholar’s Cup (WSC) brings together thousands of students from across the world and has been one of the most sought events for schoolchildren.
Its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds since the inaugural edition in 2007 and today there are thousands of students from around the world participating and enjoying a unique experience of competition and learning.
At the recent Global Round of WSC, three Oman-based students did the Sultanate proud when they qualified for the 2023 Tournament of Champions (ToC), the grand finale, to be held at the Yale University in USA from November 2-7.
The Doha Global Round attracted nearly a total of 1,800 students (seniors and juniors) from around 45 countries.
Oman’s Atharv Yadav, representing Indian School Wadi Kabir International (ISWKi) made it to the ToC in style with his all-round performance besides performing with his alto saxophone to the loud cheers of hundreds of students.
The other two Oman based students to qualify for the ToC are Siddharth Sofin from A’Soud Global School and Asmit Potdar of Indian School Mabela.
The WSC allows teams to be formed with students from different schools of different countries and nationalities.
Atharv’s team-mates were from Indian High School Dubai – Natasha Prashanth and Asma Ansari and formed Team 659, which stood a creditable 33rd overall in the Gold category (top-50 teams).
Siddharth and Asmit partnered with Steve George of Belgravia High School, Doha as Team 602 and finished 60th in silver category among the 100 qualifying teams for ToC.
At the Doha Global Round, the teams were put through a variety of competitions, which included four main sections - Scholar’s Bowl, Collaborative Writing, Scholar’s Challenge, and Team Debate.
Apart from these four main activities, students were put through various other interesting activities, including musical performances.
The WSC brings together many subjects and challenges teams to work together, because there’s nothing harder or more inspiring than knowing that someone else depends on you.
Though there is no single team from Oman, the fact that three Muscat-based students qualified for the prestigious ToC is an encouraging signal for Oman students for future WSC events.
Atharv, who was making his WSC debut, was given the honour to carry the Sultanate’s flag at the closing ceremony held at Doha’s Qatar National Convention Centre [QNCC Qatar].
Speaking after his qualification to ToC, Atharv, who recently also qualified for the World Robot Olympiad later this year, said:“Qualifying for the Tournament of Champions is a big milestone in my life. It was made possible due to my class mates and motivators, Krish Kamath and Samarth Pujari.
“My team-mates from Indian High School Dubai, Natasha and Asma were also great and played a large role in the success. I owe a lot to my teacher at ISWKi, Sophia Ma’am and my school.”
Atharv added: “It was a very proud moment for me to be the flag bearer of Oman during the closing ceremony. The moment will certainly live on as a delightful memory. I can’t wait to meet the champions of other global rounds at the ToC in Yale. I’m looking forward to giving another memorable performance at the talent show during the ToC.”
In Doha, Atharv performed on Elvis Presley song “Can’t Help Falling In Love” on his Alto saxophone.
At the Doha Global Round, there were nearly 1,000 students in the senior section while another 800 took part in the junior category at the QNCC, Qatar.
The annual Tournament of Champions (ToC) will be hosted by the Yale International Relations Association at Yale University from November 2-7.
The ToC is more than just another Global Round, according to organisers. Participants will have a chance to interact with and learn directly from Yale students and faculty. They will attend a special panel on college life and on how to leverage your World Scholar’s Cup experience as part of their admissions portfolio.
They will eat Yale dining hall food and meet keynote speakers, including a Yale University professor. And they will return knowing what it’s like to be a student at one of the world’s greatest universities.
Participants can also look forward to the Yale Ball, where you can dance (or not dance) with your fellow scholars from over fifty countries, a special Thanksgiving meal, and beautiful historic venues for the Scholar’s Bowl, Debate Showcase, and Scholar’s Show - the Shubert Theatre and Yale’s own Woolsey Hall.
