Laser World Championships - Star studded entries confirmed
by Oman Sail on 29 Sep 2013
Laser World Championships OmanSail
At the 2013 Laser Standard Men’s World Championships, organised by the Ministry of Sports Affairs and Oman Sail, a star studded international line up looks set as the 50 day countdown to the 16 November start of the event in Oman begins.
Forty five of the top fifty ISAF ranked Standard Laser Men’s sailors are already among the 112 entries received so far including Olympic, world and national champions from 39 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, North, South and Central America.
Leading the ISAF ranking list is Tom Burton, the Australian Laser national champion and winner of this year’s ISAF Sailing World Cup in Hyeres, France, followed by fellow Australian Ryan Palk and Sweden’s Jesper Stalheim winner of the recent ISAF Sailing World Cup Test Event in Spain.
Also headed for Oman is sixth ranked Jean Baptiste Bernaz of France who was 10th at the 2012 London Olympics, Alex Mills Barton of Great Britain ranked 13th, Italy’s Giovanni Coccoluto, 16th , Germany’s Philipp Buhl, 20th and 2012 London Olympic silver medallist Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus.
The Laser Standard World Championships will be followed by the Laser Masters and Laser Radial Youth Championships with some of the world’s best competitors from some 50 nations including Oman, over a seven week period from 16 November through to 3rd January 2014.
His Excellency Sheikh Rashad bin Ahmed Al Hinai, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports Affairs, chairman of the Organizing Committee, says venue partner Millennium Resort Mussanah, together with a specially appointed event committee, have ensured that all preparations are ahead of schedule for the country’s first ever hosting of a world sailing championship.
'Hosting the Laser World Championships forms part of our commitment to create a lasting sailing legacy in Oman. It presents an opportunity for us to inspire the youth of Oman and develop our sailing talent.
'We are especially proud that our management team for the Championships will comprise about 30 Omanis led by International Laser Class Principal Race Officer Jeff Martin and our own Omani race officers Abdul Aziz Al Shidi and Said Al Areimi.
'In addition the high profile race jury will feature Omani sailing icons Saleh Al Jabri, skipper of the Jewel of Muscat and Mohsin Al Busaidi, the first Arab to sail non-stop around the world, alongside some the world’s best judges with experience in the Laser class.
Issa bin Sultan Al Ismaili, championship director and head of the events committee said: 'This Championships also offers us the chance to showcase our dedicated world class sailing facility at Mussanah Sports City. Good winds, warm water and ideal sailing conditions perfectly complement this venue purpose built to Olympic standards and many top national sailing teams already use it as a base for winter training.'
'Oman is such a unique tourism and premium sailing destination for both competitive and leisure sailing and we look forward to sharing the natural beauty of our deserts, mountains, seas and treasured heritage that offer such a wide range of authentically rich cultural experiences.'
Visit Event Website to keep updated with the latest news and information on the Laser World Championships in Oman.
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