TOURNAMENT EXPECTATIONS

TOURNAMENT EXPECTATIONS

Registration:

Punta Cana International Cup will be holding all registrations through the tournament website on Tabroom.com. We will not take requests from other methods of communication. Registration will open on September 1st, 2026, at 8:00 am where schools can begin to enter students or reserve “TBA” slots. At the beginning, all students will be placed on the wait-list until we begin clearing on September 24th. Registration will close on October 20.

On September 1^st we will release every requirement forms.

Tournament Check-In

We will not offer in-person registration on Friday before the tournament. All registration and final confirmation must be completed online.

On Friday, November 20, 2026, tabroom will have a button that you can access through your school account to confirm your information is correct. Even if you have no changes to your entry, you must click the button for your entries to be scheduled into the tournament.

Independent Entries:

This year the tournament does not accept independent entries.

Hybrid Entries:

Entries comprised of competitors from multiple schools are allowed, exclusively for World Schools Debate. While hybrid entries can earn TOC bids, they are not able to use them as part of their qualification for the TOC unless at least two members of theat team are from the same school, and only that school may use the bid.

Adult Supervision:

Students at the tournament must be with a parent, legal guardian, or a school-approved adult guardian, teacher, or coach who can handle emergencies. The adult guardian must be a high school graduate. Every participant must provide an adult contact's name and phone number for emergencies.

Entry Caps per School:

8 entries in English Impromptu division,

7 entries in Spanish Impromptu division,

10 teams in Public Forum debaters (NOV, JV and VAR)

4 teams in English World Schools Novice

4 teams in Spanish World Schools Novice

3 teams in World Schools Champions

Please note that the Tournament Chair reserves the right to alter these caps and you are not officially entered into the tournament until you have been lifted off the wait-list.

Tournament of Champions:

Punta Cana International Cup is proud to announce that we have status for the JW Patterson Tournament of Champions with bids being as follows:

Public Forum Final (Silver),

World Schools Champions Final

Protests:

For all protests, the tournament will provide a form via Tabroom.com where protests are to be filed. These protests must be filed by a coach of record for the school in a timely manner. For all protests, the Tournament Chair reserves the right to appoint a regulator to handle all issues.

• Evidence and Ethics Challenges: For debate events, all protests are handled by the Tournament Chair and Competition Chair. The Tournament Chair and staff can only help the judge understand the process.

• Harassment: These challenges are to be brought to the Competition Chair. There will be a form on Tabroom to be filled in the event of these concerns.

• Any Other Challenges or Complaints: These should be brought to the Tournament Chair. The Chair reserves the right to appoint another member of staff from the tournament to be able to handle any other outstanding issues.

• No protests will be accepted after the next round has started

Smoke and Alcohol -free Event: This means that the use of all tobacco products and alcohol is prohibited during the event.

Governing Rules: For all events, the NSDA rules will be the final authority. Decisions by any member of the tournament staff are final and are not open to appeal.

Judging:

We highly prioritize having capable judges for all our events. Please assist us in maintaining the judging quality by exclusively bringing judges to the tournament who have received proper training and are qualified. Kindly refrain from including judges who are unsure about event assessment or lack the necessary qualifications. All judges, coaches and competitors must have a valid Tabroom account. The Tabroom reserves the right to fine your school if a judge has been removed because they are unable or unwilling to judge.

Every adult accompanying the team and registered as a judge must make 6 rounds. The judge's payment is USD 370, which will be deducted from your adult travel package.

Paradigms: For debate events, please have your judges post their judge philosophy on Tabroom under the paradigms section. Your school will not be allowed to enter prefs or strikes until all your judges have provided a paradigm.

Judges that are not scheduled at the moment of pairings release should wait in the Judges’ lounge. Not being initially paired does not mean that the judge has the round off. Missing a stand-by carries the same punishments as a published assignment.