University of Sydney beats London School of Economics in WTO mooting face-off

The University of Sydney won this year's annual World Trade Organisation (WTO) moot court competition, narrowly beating the London School of Economics (LSE) in the final round.

The competition, which is organised by the European Law Students' Association, saw the Australian team beat 63 other universities to the title.

The final round was held in Geneva, Switzerland, at the end of April.

Eighteen teams from around the world were in contention.

The teams debated the use of agricultural subsidies in a dispute between two WTO members. In the final oral round, the University of Sydney defended the use of subsidies, while the LSE challenged them.

For the first time in the competition's four-year history, an African team - from Ethiopia - reached the finals after beating US Ivy League universities in regional rounds.

LSE team member Ryan Hansen said taking part in the competition had been "an eye-opening experience".