Dear friends in Estonia,
Thank you all for your registration to the Helsinki International Debating Tournament 2003. The time for debating draws near, so I bring you more detailed information about our Tournament in this brief letter. SCHEDULE FRIDAY, 21 November - Participants arriving from abroad will be received at the harbour from 5 p.m. onwards and will meet their hosts. - Party and dinner in the evening. SATURDAY, 22 November - The tournament. There will be two preliminary rounds followed by the final. - Prize giving ceremony, reception and dinner at the Irish Embassy. - Final party. SUNDAY, 23 November - Helsinki city tour. - End of the tournament weekend. RULES We will be using the British Parliamentary style in our debates. That is, we will have two sides (Government and Opposition) of four debaters each per debate. A side is made up of two teams of two debaters each. The debaters are registered in teams, but the sides are determined by the organisers. Adjudicators will be awarding points to teams and individuals, not sides. Consequently, after the two preliminary rounds the four teams with the most points will form two sides for the final. The final will be won by the two person team that receives the most points. ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES We will be expecting participants to arrive from 5 p.m. onwards on Friday (21.11). The dinner party will start at eight. The city tour on Sunday will finish by 2 p.m., by which time the tournament weekend has ended. ACCOMMODATION Accommodation at homes of members of our debating society has been organised for all foreign visitors. However, it is advisable to bring sleeping bags, if possible. MEALS Breakfast will be provided at the places of accommodation on both Saturday and Sunday. Dinner is provided on Friday and Saturday. Lunch is also provided on Saturday. EXPENSES The University of Helsinki Debating Society will not charge any subscription fee and will provide the above mentioned meals free of charge. However, participants should be prepared for minor expenses such as public transport, drinks at pubs etc. DRINKS Although there is no subscription fee as such, we would like to ask our foreign participants to bring some alcoholic beverages from their countries to be used for general consumption at the parties. *** We hope to receive word about your time of arrival (and ship), as soon as possible. If you have not already indicated who your debating team mate will be, please do so. Also, please let us know about any dietary restrictions, so that we can take them into account as best we can. Looking forward to seeing you all in Helsinki soon, Timo Stewart University of Helsinki Debating Society ... --- ... Timo Russell Stewart 044 331 2526
