19-year-old Sri Lankan youngest to win JCI World Public Speaking Championship
View(s):Nineteen year old Umar Azwer created Junior Chamber International (JCI) history as the youngest competitor to win the JCI World Public Speaking Championship last month is Taipei, Taiwan.
Umar Azwer
The first Sri Lankan to win the prestigious international public speaking contest, Umar competed in the 18 to 40 year age group category.
“It is a great honour for Sri Lanka to have produced an international winner. It was a tough competition with 60 countries participating where some of the competitors were professional speakers,” says Radhika De Silva, the National President of JCI, Sri Lanka.
The soft spoken, confident all rounder calls the award a “great privilege.”
“It’s an achievement not only for me but for the JCI movement as well. Above all, it is an achievement and recognition for Sri Lanka. I strongly believe that all of us need to be ambassadors of our country in whatever way possible and I hope that I have done that,” says Umar.
Drawing upon his own experiences in having lived his life in a country torn by war, followed by the post-war reconciliation attempts among communities in Sri Lanka, Umar made a remarkable speech on “Cultural Diversity is strength rather than a weakness.”
“I was fortunate that the topic was one I could be passionate about, because I believe in passion. I believe that if you do anything with an iota of passion, you are bound to succeed,” says Umar.
The event was held in three rounds, firstly at a national level where Umar was selected to represent Sri Lanka. The next round of regional competitions were held in Hong Kong where he was awarded the best speaker for the Asia Pacific region among the winners from 11 other countries including Australia, India and Singapore. Finally, the winners from all four regions – Europe, Africa-Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas – pitted against each other in a stiff competition in Taipei last month.
Umar began his public speaking journey at the age of six when he first won the junior oratory competition as the youngest speaker at his school Amal International, Colombo. He says he owes much of his success to his family and his Alma Mater where he was Deputy Head Boy during the 2011/ 2012 term.
“I was fortunate enough to have parents who believed in a balanced education, not just book education, an aunt who is also my coach, and a school which provided me with the platform to reach my potential,” says Umar.
Currently a first year Business Management degree student at BMS, Wellawatte, Umar was also part of the Amal International school team that won second place at the World Thinkquest International competition last year. The team of six including Umar Azwer, AzeezAbubakr, Jazeel Azhar, Rehman Abubakr, Fazal Thahir and Aakil Mansoor were placed second from 30,000 students worldwide for their entry ‘End Child Labour’, in the 19 and under Digital Media event. Their website can be viewed at www.endchildlabour.info.
Follow @timesonlinelk
comments powered by Disqus