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  Out with the Old, in with the New
2015 is over, welcome to 2016! Happy New Year from Sail-World Asia!
The end of the year wrapped up in the usual way in this part of the world: there was the Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta, the Phuket King's Cup, and the Asia Superyacht Rendezvous, and (going from large to little) there was a truly excellent Etchells Worlds in Hong Kong in early November. Down Under, and the Rolex Sydney to Hobart closed out the year with some surprises occasioned by the toughest weather the race has seen in more than a decade.
Now it's time for a restart, and in Asia that means the RLYC's Royal Langkawi International Regatta (12-16 January). The RLIR has turned out to be a first class event the last couple of years, with solid sailing breeze of the 15kt+ variety, and racing conducted in some of the best scenery that you are going to find at any regatta, anywhere, let alone just in Asia. Over the last 13 years the event has produced top class competition among international class sailors, including Neil Pryde, Peter Ahern and Ray Robers. If you haven't been there, put it on the list.
Unfortunately, Langkawi has been very much in the sailing headlines for all the wrong reasons lately. Right now the WS (ISAF) Youth World Sailing Championships are taking place, in Langkawi, under the management of the Malaysian Sailing Association (MSA) without an Israeli team present. Somehow, WS (World Sailing, previously known as ISAF) ‘granted' this major event to Malaysia, in the full knowledge that the country has a policy of not issuing visas to Israelis, which is a direct contradiction of the terms and conditions which accompany such ‘world' events, which stipulate that everyone can enter - one entry per class per country, just like in the Olympics. Israel is a country with an MNA (Member National Authority) and is therefore part of the WS family and recognised as such.
After first being denied visas, the Israelis were then told that they could have a ‘special visa' with conditions attached – the young athletes would be forbidden from wearing the Israeli flag during a sailing competition, and their national anthem would not be played if they were to win a gold medal. There was a lot more too, including not being allowed to fly directly from Israel to Malaysia.
The visas prompted two Israeli windsurfers and their coach to withdraw from the Youth Worlds in protest. Israel Sailing Association Chairman Amir Gill has added that Israel's sailing association, along with the Olympic Committee of Israel, is now considering a lawsuit against Malaysia and the competition's organizers.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out what's going on here. So what to do?
Well, for a start WS (or ISAF) shouldn't be handing out rights to ‘World' events to organisations in countries that have absolutely no intention of allowing unconditional entries from absolutely everyone regardless of politics, religion, nationality, race creed and so on. WS President Carlo Croce said, “World Sailing expects the organising authority of its events to allow sailors from all nations to compete on an equal basis. This expectation is made clear in the bid process and is set out in the contractual documentation governing our events.” Go on, Mr Croce: enforce it.
Next, Malaysia should not be pitching for such an event in the first place. That's just hypocrisy.
And then, when the damage is done, WS shouldn't be sitting on their hands mumbling about “investigation” when they - and we, and you, and everyone else – knows exactly what's what. The Youth Worlds is going to breezily take place without the Israeli team, the press releases will be glowing self-congratulatory (they always are) and the official line will be that the event was a huge success. Shame on you, World Sailing.
US Sailing, Yachting NZ, and now the Danish Sailing Association, have all weighed in against WS and Malaysia's handling of the Youth Worlds. Anyone else going to put their hand in the air? And what to do to correct WS's political limp-wristedness? As usual, answers on a postcard, please.
Guy Nowell, Asia Editor
Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2016 - No Relation
Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia, 
The 14th Royal Langkawi International Regatta (RLIR) 2016 will take place from 11 to 16 January 2016 and so far, 32 yachts have registered their entries. 13 ‘locals', seven from Australia, two each from Great Britain and Thailand, and one each from China, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia and Singapore. There is no connection between the Royal Langkawi International Regatta and the WS (ISA... [more]
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