Two Irish Times-sponsored intervarsity competitions are getting into full swing as the new year begins. The quiz programme Challenging Times kicked off on Network 2 last Tuesday when NUI Maynooth beat Galway-Mayo IT in the first of the televised rounds, chaired as ever by Irish Times columnist Kevin Myers. Last year's beaten finalists, DIT, face Queen's University Belfast in tonight's round (Network 2, 8.30 p.m.) The winners of last year's Challenging Times, UCD, meet DCU in a round to be broadcast this day week.

The semi-finals of the Irish Times Debate competition get underway next Tuesday at Waterford IT, where the motion to be debated is "This House Would Walk the Queen's Highway". Teams and individuals from TCD, UCD, UL and the King's Inns will be present and will expect to cope with vocal local support for WIT's Michael Somers. The following weekend the motion to be discussed at the Law Students Debating Society of Ireland, at the King's Inns, is "This House Believes that the Rise of the New Left has Ended Choice in Modern Politics". Again the line-up is dominated by Trinity, UCD and the King's Inns, with a UCC team concluding the case for the opposition.

The last of the semi-finals will take place the following week when the Iraqi crisis and the ethics of blood sports will be debated in Trinity and Maynooth respectively.