Young sailors hope to impress at Oman Sail Ranking Races
Featuring around 55 sailors in total from Oman Sail’s Youth Programme, the races will take place from June 14 to 16 and will be preceded by a fiveday training camp for both classes
MUSCAT: Oman Sail’s most promising young sailors will take to the sea next week in Al Musannah for the latest ranking races, organised to test the performances of the Optimist class and prepare to host the Oman Laser 4.7 Championship for the first time where the best talents will be selected to represent the Sultanate.
Featuring around 55 sailors in total from Oman Sail’s Youth Programme, sponsored by Omantel and Oman Shipping Company, the races will take place from June 14 to 16, and will be preceded by a fiveday training camp for both classes.
The training camp will comprise sailors from the Oman Optimist National Squad as well as sailors who have graduated to Laser 4.7, the next class in the pathway, to qualify for selection to fill four Omani spots at the Laser 4.7 World Championships, to held in Holland next August.
Coaching skills
It will also provide an opportunity for Oman’s Laser 4.7 coaches to improve their training skills for the young sailors at Oman Sail’s sailing schools around the Sultanate.
“The Optimist is the class that the world’s youth learn to race and the Laser 4.7 is the first of a series of the Laser sailboats, the most competitive sailing class in the world that has produced some of most accomplished Olympic sailors,” said Rashid Al Kindi, Oman Sail’s National Youth Team Manager.
“Venturing into the Laser 4.7 class this month will be the next stage for our young hopefuls as part of Oman Sail’s Performance Pathway,” the official added.
“This is an exciting development for Oman Sail and although we only expect to have around ten sailors competing in our first Laser 4.7 Championships, they will in time grow, both in numbers and stature,” he said.
The Laser 4.7 National Championship, the first one to be held in Oman, will provide an excellent platform for coaches to gain more insight on how to manage training and future events.
To encourage coaches to do their utmost in race management practices, Oman Sail has offered an opportunity for the most promising Laser 4.7 coach to join the national squad and accompany the team to the World Championships in Holland.