Canberra, Australia: UCSI University debater, Lim Teik Jin has won the third place at the 2017 International Mandarin Elite Debate Tournament held at the National Library of Australia, Canberra on 10^th September 2017.

Hosted by Canberra National Defense Association, the two-day tournament saw the participation of 24 teams from well-known universities around the world including Tsinghua University, Nankai University, City University of Hong Kong and Australian National University, etc.

Three Malaysian teams; University of Malaya, the National University of Malaysia and the New Era – UCSI University (joint debate team) participated in this national tournament.

The International Elite Debate Tournament redefines the traditional format of debating as instead of a group of 3-4 participants in a team, this competition judge solo performance.

In the past, Lim was awarded third place at the 2016 Northern Malaysia Mandarin Debate Tournament, 4 times winner of the Best Debater Awards and the Best Debater of Tournament Match. One year later, he once again attained a glorious result by emerging as the third runner-up in the 2017 International Mandarin Elite Debate Tournament.

In his first three rounds of debate, Lim surpassed the University of Queensland, National University of Malaysia and Australian National University to reach the semi-finals, with Nankai University as his opponent.

The semi-final debate topic was "Should we encourage children to send their parents to nursing homes?" Lim was designated to support this statement.

“This topic was a struggle for me. If my parents heard all my arguments, they will surely kick me out of the house! Hahaha…” said Lim. 

It was an overall very intense and challenging competition. Finally, Nankai University won the 2017 International Mandarin Elite Debate Tournament, the runner-up and third runner-up went to the University of Malaya and UCSI University, respectively. 

"Even if I had to choose one more time, I will certainly go! This is not just a simple platform for debate, but adding vibrant colour to your stage of life!” Lim added.