Muscat: Two teams from Oman Sail will represent the nation at the 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships, The Hague, as part of a 1,200-strong fleet across all Olympic classes and three Para Sailing classes for the first time in event history.
Oman will be represented in Men’s iQFOiL, RS Venture Connect, and Men’s and Women’s Hansa 303 with two coaches and team managers also travelling to Europe.
Murjan Al Balushi will compete in the Women’s Hansa 303, while Nasr Al Rahbi will compete in the Men’s Hansa 303 event. They will be joined by Sami Al Sulaimi and Ghaliya Al Jabri in the RS Venture Connect.
All four athletes have the opportunity to become World Champion in each discipline. The Para Sailing team will be coached by Hamad Al Subhi and Rami Al Araimi and managed by Fatima Al Zadjali.
The 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships, The Hague, also serves as a qualification event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Abd Al Majeed Al Hadhrami will take part in the Men’s iQFOiL event where he will be managed by Mohsin Al Busaidi, as he aims to achieve his goal of representing the Sultanate of Oman at the Olympic Games.
Mohsin Al Busaidi, Oman Sail’s Head of Performance, said, “The Allianz Sailing World Championships bring together the very best sailors in the world, including past and current World and Olympic champions. We are ultimately aiming for Olympic qualification for the Omani team, and this is a great opportunity to test our progress. We have been working hard to fine-tune technique and tactics in order to give our team the chance to perform to its potential.”
Hamad Al Subhi, Para Sailing coach, said, “This is a very exciting opportunity for our Para Sailing athletes as we continue to grow as a team. Exposure to high level competition will be beneficial for the long-term development of the athletes, our coaches, and our program. Despite not being an Olympic event, this is a chance to compete for a World Championship and judge our progress against more experienced sailors. This is how we improve and help the athletes to fulfil their potential.”
The 2023 Allianz World Sailing Championships, The Hague, run from 10-20 August 2023. Racing in the Olympic Class events will take place in Scheveningen, while Para Sailing events will be in Braassemermeer Marina, organised by TIG Sports and the Koninklijk Nederlands Watersport Verbond (The Royal Netherlands Watersport Association) in conjunction with World Sailing.