2015 420 World Championships – Opening ceremony kicks off in Japan

by 420 International Class Association on 20 Jul 2015 2015 420 World Championships – 330 sailors representing 21 nations gathered in Castle Karatsu Bay, Japan tonight for the opening ceremony, along with team supporters, family, friends, local and international officials, honoured guests and the many volunteers involved in the event.

Three 420 World Championship titles are on offer - the 420 Open World Championship, 420 Ladies World Championship and the U17 420 World Championship. Racing gets underway on Monday 20 July 2015, with the 165 teams split into five racing fleets.

Tonight the 420 World Championships opened under the watchful eyes of Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado-no-miya Hisako of Japan, Honorary President of Japan Sailing Federation, and Mr Hiro Kawano, President of the Japan Sailing Federation who joined the Opening Ceremony.

“This Championship has special meaning for the Japan Sailing Federation, JSAF,' were the opening words from Mr Kawano. 'Four years ago, JSAF decided to select the 420 as the official boat for youth sailors at national sports festivals and inter-high school leagues which are the major sailing events here. It took three years of preparation before implementation and during that time JSAF and our branch organizations in all prefectures supported the purchase of 420s for high schools and through this programme 130 boats were provided. Then this year, we hosted our first 420 regional races. So this is a real joy for us to host the 420 World Championships in Japan in such a historic year.”

Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado-no-miya then welcomed teams, saying, “I extend a warm welcome to the many young sailors from all around the world. Welcome to Karatsu, Sage Prefecture, Japan. I think for the young sailors it is very, very important to see different cultures and different countries in your sailing career. Japan for some of you may be a first time, but no matter how many times you come to Japan it is always a very nice place. But where better than Karatsu, where you are watched by this beautiful castle. The waters may be challenging, but the challenge is a great thing to experience. We hope you enjoy your stay here more than the results. The people of Karatsu welcome you all with open arms.”

President of the International 420 Class Association, Nino Shmueli then took to the stage, saying, “The International 420 Class Association prides itself on the sailors who pass through our fleets around the world, many of whom go on to pursue a pathway to elite competition, Olympics and sailing careers beyond. Equally importantly, the 420 Class is where many nurture their love of sailing and participating, not necessarily winning, is the ethos we believe in.”

With the 420 World Championships formally declared open, a ceremonial Kagami-aari took place, with officials breaking open a barrel of sake with large mallets. Teams then enjoyed a buffet and a typically impressive Japanese fireworks display.

Split into two groups, the 72 team 420 Open fleet open the racing programme on Monday 20 July with a scheduled start at 1200 hours for two races. Up next for a 1400 hours scheduled start will be the 60 boat 420 Ladies fleet who will race in two separate groups, and the 33 boat U17 fleet who will race in a single group.

2015 sees the introduction of a new U17 World Championship title, which recognizes the growing participation of younger teams at the 420 Worlds. Featuring thirty-three teams, the U17 fleet will sail in an open format for both Open and Ladies teams. Amongst the youngest teams in contention for the new U17 World Championship title will be 13-year-old helm Tatsuto Fujiwara and crew Junichi Nagasawa aged 15 representing the host nation.

Alongside the racing, shoreside the 420 World Championships will give teams a real flavour of local culture and history, with a social programme including traditional Japanese fireworks, puppet show, carnival parade and of course a diverse culinary experience.

Participating nations in the 420 World, Ladies World and U17 World Championships are:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, United States of America.