Please select your home edition
Edition
A+T Instruments BFD 2024 Leaderboard

Oman Sail successfully hosts first National Optimist Championship

by Times News Service on 20 Aug 2014
The first Oman National Optimist Championship came on the back of a weeklong a training camp for 14 members of the Oman Sail’s Youth Squad as part of the Omantel Youth Programme, co-sponsored by Oman Shipping Company Oman Sail
Oman Sail concluded Oman's first National Optimist Championship last week with a prize-giving ceremony that saw seven promising young sailors rewarded for their outstanding performances.

The event came on the back of a week-long training camp for 14 members of the Youth Squad as part of the OmanTel Youth Programme, co-sponsored by Oman Shipping Company. It saw 45 young Omani sailors aged between 9 and 14 compete over four days in Sur.


The racing was also part of the National Youth Squad qualification process for the IODA African Championship in Morocco from October 9 to 17 and the Asian Games in South Korea from September 19 to October 2.

'This National Championship was the first to be held for the Optimist class in Oman so these sailors have made history,' said Rashid Al Kindi, Oman Sail's National Team Manager.

'They will always be able to say 'I was there'. It has been an intense competition and our young sailors have demonstrated very high standards of sailing and determination. We are proud of every single one of them.'

The prize-giving ceremony was held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Bahwan Al Mukhaini, member of State Council.

Zakariya Al Wahabi, who represented his race club at Al Musannah Sports City, clinched first place in the overall standings.

The 14-year-old won six of the nine races staged over the championship, coming second in a further two. Salim Al Alawi and Marwan Al Jabri from Bandar Al Rowdha Sailing School took the other two podium places while Samiya Al Riyami, the only female competitor, came sixth. Al Wahabi won a well-earned place to represent his country at the Asian Games in Korea in September.

Al Riyami will also attend the Games as the top Omani female based on the results of previous ranking races and the Sur championship. She will also compete in the IODA African Championship in Morocco with the five leading boys from this championship.

Three young sailors were also awarded for their achievements in the Under 11 category. Saud Al Abri received the first place prize and his sailing school, The Wave Muscat, was also awarded as the school that earned the most points from racing against the other Oman Sail sailing schools in Sur, Bandar Al Rowdha and Al Musannah.

Conditions through the week were mainly light with no racing possible on the final day due to lack of wind, but the children were still able to attend clinics run by coaches Abdulaziz Al Shidi and Leonardo Santos who were monitoring performances.

Oman Sail's newest sailing school, the fully-equipped sailing academy in Sur that was funded by Oman LNG, played host to the first Optimist championship and the learning curve was steep, admitted Sur Sailing School Manager Said Al Araimi.

'This was our first big project since we opened in January and we were delighted with the way it went,' he commented.

'We have been working hard to introduce sailing to the local community and the youth around Sur. Our aim is to build a strong team where our sailors can be competitive both nationally and regionally, and our race officials, coaches and managers set great courses, draw up great programmes for the kids and run excellent events. We have a lot of work to do but this is a good start.'
Switch One DesignZhik 2024 DecemberLloyd Stevenson - AC Alinghi 1456x180px BOTTOM

Related Articles

Aussies hunt 'Ashes on Water' win
The BONDS Flying Roos are looking to bounce back with a vengeance in Portsmouth Fresh off a bruising weekend in New York, the BONDS Flying Roos are looking to bounce back with a vengeance as they take on long time rivals Great Britain in their home waters at the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, held in Portsmouth.
Posted on 18 Jul
4 Ultim rocketships to contest Rolex Fastnet Race
The giant 32m long by 23m wide flying trimarans are taking part in the 100th anniversary edition While the 50ft flying catamarans competing at SailGP Portsmouth this weekend will be impressive, charging out of the opposite western end of the Solent will be giant 32m long by 23m wide flying Ultim trimarans taking part in the 100th anniversary edition.
Posted on 18 Jul
SailGP comes to Portsmouth!
We speak to the sailors ahead of the weekend The Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Portsmouth takes place this weekend, with the 12 teams competing in F50 catamarans close to the waterfront, where a massive grandstand has been built for the spectators.
Posted on 18 Jul
SailGP: No practice racing at Portsmouth
The Practice Race was a fizzer, however the future of the SailGP fleet development was revealed. The scheduled Practice Day failed to fire at SailGP Portsmouth, after the forecast, admittedly light, breeze failed to male an appearance. The self propelled start marks were making a much better speed than the F50s.
Posted on 18 Jul
Elite Training at New Sailing Centre
Canash Beach, St Vincent, hosts international sailors The SVG Sailing Association held a successful High Performance Race Training Clinic, at the newly established High Performance Centre at Canash Beach, St Vincent. The four-day event ran from July 13th to 16th.
Posted on 18 Jul
McIntyre Mini Globe Race Leg 3 Preview
The race to South Africa starts from Vuda Marina Fiji on 26th July In a world-first sailing challenge, 15 solo sailors from eight countries are navigating identical 5.8-meter (19-foot) self-built plywood yachts around the globe— The fleet has enjoyed a five week stopover in Fiji at the end of Leg 2.
Posted on 18 Jul
Third time Finn World No.1 for Alessandro Marega
Maintaining the top spot in the Finn World Ranking List Italy's Alessandro Marega maintains the top spot in the Finn World Ranking List for the third consecutive release. He remains World No. 1 with an 80-point lead over France's Laurent Hay.
Posted on 18 Jul
World Sailing Nations Cup to make grand return
After a seven-year hiatus, World Sailing has officially opened the bid process for host cities After a seven-year hiatus, the World Sailing Nations Cup, the ultimate event to crown the world's top match-racing nations, is making its much-anticipated return.
Posted on 18 Jul
2025 WASZP Pre-Games in Weymouth Day 2
A classic British summer's day as sailors launched beneath a blanket of grey cloud and drizzle The second day of the WASZP Pre-Games served up a classic British summer's day as sailors launched beneath a blanket of grey cloud and with a hug of fresh drizzle.
Posted on 18 Jul
Moth take a big step forward at Garda Worlds
The just concluded Int Moth Worlds at Lake Garda, Italy were technically much more complex than NZ The just concluded Int Moth Worlds at Lake Garda, Italy were technically much more complex than the 2024 World Championship, held just six months ago in New Zealand.
Posted on 17 Jul