Mussanah Sports City is yet again a hive of activity, as the 5th Annual GCC Sailing Championships, organised by the Oman Sailing Committee in conjunction with Oman Sail under the authority of the GCC Sailing Organisation Committee kicks off today. 65 competitors from the 6 participating nations will pitch their talent against one another in the idyllic setting of Mussanah, in order to race for a podium position.
This is the ideal arena for Oman Sail’s youth to showcase their talent against other young sailors from the Gulf. It is the first time that Oman has held this event and it is sure to be a success, with an international jury in place, and a race management team fresh from running Mussanah Race Week. The event will take place from 28th – 30th March, with a proposed 9 races to be sailed per class. There will be races run for Hobie 16s, Laser Standards, Radials and 4.7s, and two days of Optimist fleet racing followed by 1 day of Optimist Team Racing.
This is the first time that team racing will feature in the GCC Sailing Championships, it is an opportunity for the young Optimist sailors to showcase their skills in this testing form of racing. The aim of team racing is for sailors to ensure their teammates cross the finish line before the opposition. Teams are made up of 4 boats each, and two teams race each other round an ‘S’ shaped course at any one time. This form of racing tests the sailors’ knowledge of rules, sailing skills and ability to maintain boat speed to the limit.
The purpose of the GCC Sailing Championships is to improve sailing as a sport within these regions, and to gain further recognition from the people of the Gulf. Also, to support the athletes of the nations and to help them to qualify for the Asian Games and ultimately the Olympics. As well as an opportunity to show case the knowledge and skills of our own judges and jury. Supporting the Championships will be His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa Abdullah Al Khalifa of Bahrain, President of the GCC & Arab Sailing Federation; Oman Sail wishes to extend a warm welcome to His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa, who will be present throughout the event.
A total of 14 Omani sailors will represent the host nation across all the disciplines. Rashid Al Kindi, Chairman of the Oman Sailing Committee comments that: “This is our chance for our athletes to perform well in their home waters.” Mussanah, which will host the Laser World Championships in November 2013, always puts on challenging conditions for the sailors, and hopefully local knowledge will go a long way in this event.
Alongside Omani athletes, a host of Omani Jury and Committee will be responsible for the on the water scrutiny and race management. “This will be an impressive event as this demonstrates a high amount of Omanisation, compared to the Beach Games held in 2010; this shows how Oman Sail has continued to develop and foster Omani human resources through sports; the future of our native jury is very bright indeed.” Says Al Kindi.
By introducing a new generation to sailing, Oman Sail’s overall objective is to promote national pride by succeeding on the world’s sporting stage, promoting elite Omani sailors as role models to inspire the youth of Oman and ultimately winning a medal for the Sultanate in the 2024 Olympic Games.
