The University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus is celebrating a landmark achievement after its Postgraduate Debate Team secured an outstanding second-place finish at the 2026 UWI Inter-Campus Postgraduate Debate Competition, held 20-21 February at the UWI Mona Campus in Jamaica.
This was an exceptional performance from the Five Islands Association of Postgraduate Students (F.I.C.A.P.S.) and their very first appearance in the annual regional competition.
The contingent consisted of postgraduate students Jake Taylor (Team Captain), Cedric Park, and Michelle Paige, accompanied by Postgraduate Representative Kimon Drigo and Debate Coach Odaissia Nichols.
On Friday 20th February, Team Five Islands won their preliminary match against the UWI Global Campus, debating the moot: “This House would allow CARICOM to impose economic sanctions on member states that fail to implement agreed regional policies.” Arguing the Proposition as the sitting government, the F.I.C.A.P.S. debaters delivered a confident performance and earned their place in the finals. Mr. Cedric Park was awarded Overall Best Debater on Day One.
In the finals on Saturday 21st February, the team faced UWI Mona, long regarded as the “titans” in opposition of the moot: “This House will support foreign military intervention to remove a sitting head of state, whether or not international legal mechanisms have failed.” The team achieved an impressive second-place finish in their first-ever appearance at the competition, marking a historic milestone for the UWI Five Islands Campus.
Head Judge and international debate champion Germaine Barrett publicly commended the F.I.C.A.P.S. team in his closing remarks, highlighting how remarkable it was for Five Islands, “the debutantes,” to rise to second place and “put the heat to their feet” against a debating powerhouse like Mona.
In a post-debate interview, Omolora Wilson, Captain of the Mona Associate of Postgraduate Students (M.A.P.S.) Debate Team acknowledged that it had been some time since they had faced such strong competition, affirming that Five Islands brought “real competition” to the stage. In the final standings, Five Islands placed ahead of the UWI’s Global Campus and Cave Hill, with St. Augustine unable to compete. This result is nothing short of historic.
F.I.C.A.P.S. extends thanks to the UWI Five Islands Debate Society and the campus leadership for their encouragement and investment in student excellence. The team looks ahead with determination to the annual staging next year, committed to building on this momentum and represent Antigua and Barbuda on the regional stage.
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