Athens World Schools Newsletter - One Month to Go

From wsdc2009@googlemail.com

Dear All,

In a month from now we will organize the 21st WSDC in Athens! We’re very excited about this and working extremely hard towards that direction. This Newsletter is to inform you of where we’re standing right now and what we have prepared for our guests.

1. Organizing Committee
• We have the backing of the Panhellenic Forensics Association, which has been organizing the national debate tournament since the 1970s. Members of the PFA are both schools and individuals. The organization of the tournament is the effort of the WSDC committee of this Association, primarily of Effie Giannakouri, Helen Koliais, Eirianna Kouri, Albert Fornis and Kallina Basli.
• The Organizing Committee is supported by many WSDC alumni, to name some, Eleni Gatis, Pennie Douligeris, George Katritsis, Alex Daskayiannis, Elena Georgatzis, Roxanne Krystalli. Several of our alumni are going to be present during the competition to help us with everyday requirements.
• Our Chief Adjudicator is James Probert, Head of the Centre for Speech and Debate at the English-Speaking Union in London.
• Our representatives for the Motions Committee are Russell Courts from Greece and Cameron Wyllie from Scotland. Our representatives for the Complaints Committee are Helen Koliais from Greece and Sixto Ramos from Peru.

2. Accommodation:
• We will be staying at the Stanley hotel in the centre of Athens. It’s a 4star hotel, renovated for the Athens Olympics (you can check it out at www.hotelstanley.gr ), which presents the following advantages- firstly, it’s in the center of Athens, one stop from Omonia square and three stops from Syntagma square, which means that it’s as centrally as you can get. Secondly, there is a metro station right outside the entrance of the hotel- from there the participants can go anywhere if they wish to, and the metro is probably the safest way of transportation in Athens. Our Organizing Committee has secured free passes for all public transport for all participants for the whole duration of the tournament and we’re very happy that the Ministry of Transport became one of our sponsors. Thirdly, the hotel is extremely close to local amenities.
• We’re going to provide the same breakfast to the participants as to the rest of the guests in the hotel, including continental and cooked breakfast.
• We will have Office facilities for the Chief Adjudicator and the Organizing Committee in the hotel.
• The registration desk will be located in the entrance of the lobby, to make arrivals day as easy and comfortable .
• All rooms will be serviced daily.
• There is internet and laundry facilities available- wireless internet connection is possible if you bring your laptops along and there are 2 computers in the entrance of the hotel.

3. Meals:
• All breakfasts are included.
• All lunches are included during the preliminary rounds.
• At least three dinners will be included.
• Paying for as many meals as possible is our top priority- we know how important that is to all delegations, and we’re trying to find sponsors that will cover these expenses.
• In general, food in Athens is very cheap- we will provide a guide with cheap, convenient options for times when meals are not provided, many of which have a staff that speaks English. A general guide to Athens is also currently prepared.
• We’ll try to accommodate all dietary requirements.
• The Hotel has a restaurant and two bars that we can use.

4. Transportation:
• All transportation to and from the schools where we’ll have the debates will be provided by the schools themselves. The quarters and semis will take place in venues in the center of Athens and no coach transportation will be needed. We will, however, provide guides to walk you there.
• Transportation to the hotel from the airport is extremely easy- there is a direct line from the airport to the hotel with the metro. We will have guides at the airport waiting for the delegations to arrive to take them to the metro or to the hotel. If you arrive before the 9th of February, we will send you information on how to get to the center of Athens and to the hotel. If you arrive after the metro closes, we will try to accommodate that as well and we’ll contact you for further details.

5. Debate Venues:
• All preliminary rounds will take place in schools, in front of an audience of students. All the schools are very excited to host these rounds!
• The schools are ready and eager to provide a welcoming ceremony, timekeepers, preparation rooms, volunteers for the teams, appropriate rooms, lunch, coffee and cookies for the judges and water during the debates.
• We would like to go to as many schools as possible in order for as many Greek students as possible to get a chance to watch debates. For that reason we would like to organize some workshops which will take place during the preparation for the impromptu debate.
• For the Octo- finals we’re all going to Delphi! The Octos are sponsored by the European and Cultural Center of Delphi and the rounds will take place in the Center itself. Our organization will take care of transportation to and from the venues.
• For the quarter and semi finals we will use venues in the center of Athens that are appropriate for the event- such as the Old Parliament and the Cycladic Art Museum, which are both sponsors of these rounds.
• The final debate will take place in a school theater that can accommodate 800 people.


6. Schedule:
• A brief presentation of the schedule (you can find a more detailed version on our website)
• Monday, 9/2 ‡ Arrivals
• Tuesday, 10/2 ‡ Judges Briefing, Activities for Debaters, Opening Ceremony
• Wednesday, 11/2 ‡ Rounds 1, 2
• Thursday, 12/2 ‡ Rounds 3, 4
• Friday, 13/2 ‡ Rounds 5, 6
• Saturday, 14/2 ‡ Tour option, round 0 (if needed)
• Sunday, 15/2 ‡ Rounds 7, 8, Break night party
• Monday, 16/2 ‡ Octo- Finals (Delphi)
• Tuesday, 17/2 ‡ Quarter- Finals, Semi- Finals
• Wednesday, 18/2 ‡ Council Meeting, Finals, Dinner
• Thursday, 19-2 ‡ Departures

7. Budget:
• A detailed budget will be published by the end of the tournament- most of it at the council meeting and the rest of the details within 10 days of the end of the tournament.


8. And a couple of other things…
• Language: It’s worth mentioning that Athens, and in particular the centre of the city) is a very popular tourist destination, and so it’s very tourist-friendly. Signs, menus, and maps can all be found in English (and possibly in other languages as well) and everyone working at a shop or a station will speak at least basic, conversational English (enough to answer any queries, give directions, and serve you). Also anyone working in emergency services will be able to address any queries in English.

• Weather: Greece is supposed to be a summer destination but we should mention here that it gets quite cold during the winter time- so bring your winter clothes, hats, gloves etc. Having said that, it can get up to 18-20 C, so you might want to bring your hats and sunglasses along as well. We’ll get back to you with a more detailed weather forecast.

Please contact us with any comments or questions,
Respectfully,

Effie Giannakouri