Polite smiles before fierce law showdown

Delegates from around the world prepare for mock political debate in Copenhagen

by Matt Powers

Polite dining guests today, hard core rivals tomorrow. This was the vibe Tuesday night before the Copenhagen Competition gets underway.

Every team is of course gunning for a victory, but their ambitions were still covered in a thin veneer of diplomacy.

»We have a mixed and balanced approach to the competition,« said Indian delegate Nayan Jain from the Gujarat National Law University, »but watch out for us«. Her coach quickly added that they would not be divulging their strategy.

Diplomacy from the word go

The international student delegates in the Copenhagen Competition hosted by the Faculty of Law were welcomed to the city in style Wednesday night. There was wine and champagne and each student got an umbrella to protect against the Danish autumn squalls. While the delegates will be shielded from the rain, it remains to be seen which team will weather the intense negotiations to follow in the next three days.

»There is no guarantee to win. But we come with the right spirit,« explained Yuan Ji from Yale Law School in the US. »We look forward to meeting the other teams and getting to know them better.«

While the teams’ answers maintained a diplomatic ring, competition director Laura Nielsen hinted at some of the more secretive aspects of the event.

»Rules do not exclude corridor talks,« said Nielsen. »Especially with all the teams in the same hotel.«

Deceptive

The Singaporean delegation is back to defend its title with all new students this year. Their approach is deceptively simple.

»There are two things,« said Jinesh Lalwani from the National University of Singapore. »Be nice and smile a lot.«

Follow the competition on Universitypost.dk

Uni-avis@adm.ku.dk

Stay up to date with news and upcoming events at the University of Copenhagen. Sign up for the University Post newsletter here.

• Send
• Share