Symbols

Heart of Europe symbol – Mr. Heart!

From December 2012, our tournament has an official mascot – Herr Heart! Then Chief Adjudicator of the tournament, John Wickham, commented on it: “Introducing this mascot and promoting blood giving all around the world is another significant milestone for the Czech Debate Society and the tournament itself. It is in line with the tournament’s mission to develop cooperation among the youth and to foster cultural and social understanding and exchange. Herr Heart represents the sharpness, love for freedom and effort to help and to improve the neighbourhood, which is essential for debaters, as well as the hospitality and openness of organisers and the tournament itself.”

John Wickham also explained the concept behind the logo for the HOEDT, saying that the heart in the middle of the Europe silhouette represents the central position of the place, from where the HOEDT helps spread freedom of speech, the centre of Europe which really is a crossroad of cultures. The logo also indicates the communication that will bring the students from various cultures closer to each other. The colors chosen for the logo represent national colors of the country, as well as vitality and democracy. Herr Heart also brings a new motto, not just for our blood donor initiative, but for the tournament as a whole – Debate Is Life. Just like the blood is necessary to oxygenate the body, debating nurtures the mind, while it is literally saving lives even further through promoting peace and helping people of all ages and cultures live to the fullest. We at the HOEDT certainly live for the debate and that is why the debate lives here too.