49 sailors take the plunge for BIYC open race in Miri
MIRI: The 2017 Borneo International Yachting Challenge (BIYC) raised its curtain for 49 participants vying for the open race at Miri Marina on Friday.
Most sailors were from Sarawak followed by Johor (9), Sabah (6) Perak (4), Brunei Darussalam (3) and Thailand (2).
Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin was the guest of honor who flagged off the race.
Lee, who is also patron for the event, said the race has gained popularity since its inauguration in 2004.
However, the organising committee was unable to organise it in 2015, making the event absent from the Miri tourism calendar for two consecutive years.
Last year, BIYC 2016 was not held due to the 18th Sukma as Miri hosted the sailing events.
While the organisers were happy to revive it this year, they are forced to scrap Labuan and Kota Kinabalu from the route due to negative publicity over safety concerns about Sabah waters.
But they remain optimistic that there will be a full race next year.
The three-day event this year features four categories including those for smaller boats.
According to the deputy president of Sarawak Sailing Association Capt Ariffin Abdul Aziz, there are a total of 30 sailors both elite and shadow athletes for the state.
“We are now in the effort to further promote the sailing sport at school and hopefully we are able to get more young sailors,” he said though he conceded that Miri and Sarawak are still behind other states in the country in the sport.
Also present at the flag off were joint organising chairman Troy Yaw and Miri District officer Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusuf.