Omani kids and a passion for sailing
by Sail-World Cruising Round-up on 17 Jun 2013
Oman Sail is finding an ’explosion’ of popularity among kids for sailing SW
If you think that kids in your neck of the woods love sailing, you should see how the kids in Oman, such a recent leisure sailing country, are rushing to get a chance to get on the water and learn to sail.
Oman Sail’s Summer Sailing Camp 2013 has opened its doors to more children than ever this time. More than 550 schoolchildren have enroled for Oman Sail’s successful Summer Sailing Camp 2013, highlighting a growing eagerness for the sport of sailing throughout Oman.
The four week long programme has seen an explosion of interest since it was launched three years ago with year on year increases among both the numbers of schools participating and the numbers of students.
The aim, in line with Oman Sail’s mission to enrich the skills of youth, excite and develop students interest in sailing and inspire a new generation to take to the water. All three Oman Sail Sailing Schools at Marina Bandar al Rowdha, The Wave, Muscat and Musannah are involved in the camp with a total of 552 students aged between eight and 16, drawn from 38 schools from around Muscat and Batinah.
'This is the third edition this year and we are delighted at the number of interested students who are choosing to spend their free time learning to sail and developing their skills,' said Adel al Abri, Oman Sail’s community sailing programme manager.
'The number of students who have registered for our Summer Sailing Camps has exceeded all our expectations. 'We are overbooked at each of our sailing schools which suggests that sailing has become a more accessible sport in Oman and very popular among young Omanis. 'We are also seeing a difference in attitudes among parents in the way they are encouraging their children to be part of our summer program.
It indicates a high level of trust and confidence in Oman Sail programs, which is something we have been striving hard to achieve.' Activities start at 10am each morning during the camp and continue for two hours then resume for another two hours in the afternoon, closing at 4.30pm with the curriculum, delivered by qualified coaches and support staff, certified by International Sailing Federation (ISAF).
Students who complete Level 1 will be awarded an official certificate from Oman Sail. Already more than 10,000 schoolchildren have been introduced to sailing since Oman Sail was established in 2008 with a target of teaching 70,000 set and establishing a total of eight sailing schools across the sultanate by 2020.
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