**Álvaro Flores and Álvaro Mora led the Debate Society of *Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (UFV)* to the semifinals of the 2026 CMUDE, held in Quito, and were also recognized as the tenth and nineteenth best speakers in the competition, respectively.**
Defending a position requires developing strong arguments, but it also requires understanding the other side and being able to respond when the debate takes a different turn. That training led students from Francisco de Vitoria University this summer to the semifinals of the World University Spanish Debate Championship (CMUDE), one of the leading university debate competitions in Spanish.
On August 1, the team of Álvaro Flores and Álvaro Mora—fifth-year students enrolled in the bachelor’s and dual-degree programs in Business Analytics—advanced to the semifinals of the competition held in Quito.
In addition to this team achievement, both students received individual recognition. Álvaro Mora was named the ninth-best speaker in the competition, and Álvaro Flores, the tenth, among this year’s participants.
Cuatro estudiantes representan a la UFV en Quito
The university's delegation was rounded out by Fernando Barroso, a fourth-year computer engineering student, and Alonso Cerdá, a fourth-year student in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (FPE).
The four students traveled accompanied by Professor Cristina Guerrero, director of the UFV Debate Society, who has been involved in preparing and supporting the students.
In this edition of the CMUDE, more than 110 teams from public and private universities in more than ten Spanish-speaking countries participated. Facing these opponents, UFV students had to adapt their arguments to different positions and topics throughout the various rounds of the competition.
An international career that began in 2013
UFV's participation in the World University Spanish Debate Championship dates back to 2013. Since then, the Debate Society has reached at least the round of 16 in each of its appearances.
Among their most notable achievements are the final played in Madrid in 2013 and the semifinal reached this year in Quito.
This achievement joins other international accolades earned by the UFV Debate Society over the years, including the Nations Cup at the World Spanish Debate Championship held in Bogotá in 2015. The University describes this society as a space for holistic education and the shared pursuit of knowledge through debate.
Learning to think also means learning to challenge ideas
Beyond the competitive outcome, the debate presents students with an experience that is difficult to replicate solely in the classroom. They must research complex issues, develop a position, and immediately defend it against objections raised by another team.
This exercise forces one to reexamine one's own arguments and decide which response is the strongest in each situation. In this way, the competition also serves as training in critical thinking and the ability to engage in dialogue with those who hold a different position.
Reaching the semifinals in Quito recognizes the work of Álvaro Flores, Álvaro Mora, and the rest of the UFV team, but it also builds on an approach to debate that the University has cultivated for years: as a space where dialogue serves to seek better answers together with others.
