It is probably one of the most prestigious global competitions out there, yet it is not that well-known in the sense that many have not heard of it…at least those who are not into hardcore intellectually-stimulating activities. But for those who are into such things, being on this competition is like competing in the Olympics, trying to slug it out with the rest of the world. This folks is the World Quizzing Championship. And the Urban Roamer was there not only to witness it but take part in it as well.
Organized by the International Quizzing Association, the World Quizzing Championship (WQC) is an annual quiz competition held almost simultaneously on the same date in different parts of the world. In the Philippines’ case, it was held on the night of June 7 at Murphy’s Irish Pub in Makati, home of the metropolis’ most popular weekly quiz night events.
This year, the Philippine leg saw about almost 30 participants going through a grueling 2 hours answering 240 questions in different categories like entertainment, history, culture, sports, and science. What makes it even more challenging (to say the least) is that some of the questions asked refer to topics that are not even remotely familiar to a Filipino POV, especially with some questions that seem be Euro-centric in its orientation.
At the end of the competition, the results of the Philippine leg was announced, with Philippine quizzing great Leonardo Gapol coming in first place. (which should not be a surprise considering he always finishes first place in every World Quizzing Championship-Philippine Leg event) Unfortunately, there are no prizes given in the WQC save for the trophies that were generously donated.
This year also happens to be the third time the Urban Roamer has participated in such an event. While I do not claim to be as good as those guys and other quizzing heavyweights elsewhere in the world, I can say I’ve done decently well in the WQC, including this one. After all, my participation in this event is all in the spirit of fun and the pursuit of some new knowledge along the way.
This year’s WQC saw a new world quizzing champion in the person of Vikram Joshi from India. Also, this year’s WQC saw an improvement in the ranking for the Philippines as it was able to get into 146th place courtesy of perennial Philippine first placer Leonardo Gapol, a big improvement from last year’s ranking at 276. Yours truly managed to clinch the 1013th spot, which is not bad considering this year had a total of 1,906 participants.
For more information, visit the WQC website at www.worldquizzingchampionships.com
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