He then advanced to the annual Asia World Schools Debating Championships in Bangkok, Thailand held in August, where he placed second.
Fourie, a Grade 10 pupil, has been honing his debating skills since Grade 8 under the watchful tutelage of his debating coach, English teacher Mrs Christine Churchyard. An avid all-rounder, excelling academically and playing cricket and rugby at school, Fourie is no stranger to winning championships. As a junior, his team reached the quarter finals of the Gauteng competitions. He was then chosen as a member of the Gauteng Junior Debating Team last year, a move that saw him being part of the winning team at the National Debating Champions. “Thank you to my coaches, Mrs Christine Churchyard and Phiwe Salukazana, and my team. It was an incredible experience and I could not have done it without them,” said Fourie.
Fourie’s expertise in stating a case proved to be a winning formula. Fourie and 10 other top South African debaters went through rigorous trials which sought out the five best debaters, making the final South African Junior Debating Team. The team made a meteoric rise at the championships. In the six preliminary rounds, they beat opponents Sri Lanka, Korea, China, the South African Senior Debating Team, Malaysia, India and the South African Senior B Team. In the eighth and final round of the preliminary rounds, the South African Junior Debating Team faced the Malaysian National team and lost narrowly on a split panel. “At the college, debating is a valued co-curricular activity, which has enjoyed much success in the past few years, both in Model United Nations and World School style of debating. We are proud to have debaters of Grant’s calibre and look forward to more successes in the future,” said Churchyard.
