Thursday 18 / April / 2024
Muscat: The first global Olympic sailing class event post the 2020 Tokyo Games will be held in Oman, with Oman Sail selected to host next year’s 49er, 49erFX and Nacra World Championships at Al Mussanah Sports City.
Oman’s global event hosting capabilities has been given a huge endorsement, with World Sailing selecting Oman Sail’s bid to host the World Championships for three Olympic classes - 49er, 49erFX and Nacra - in 2021.
The 2021 49er, 49erFX and Nacra World Championships will be a truly global event on a scale not previously seen before in Oman. Teams from all over the world will journey to the Sultanate to be hosted at the world-class Al Mussanah Sports City in November next year in a week-long festival of sailing.
Oman Sail CEO David Graham said: “Oman has an impressive history of hosting international sailing events, and we are proud to add the 2021 49er, 49erFX and Nacra World Championships to that list.
“World Sailing has rightly recognised the superb facilities in Mussanah, which are the legacy of the 2010 Asian Beach Games, and have since been a successful venue for many sailing events including the Laser World Championships, the RS:X Worlds, Laser Radial Championship and the IODA Asian and Oceanian Championships in 2019.
“It was Al Mussanah Sports City and Oman’s capability to host environmentally friendly world-class events that set our bid apart. I would like to congratulate all my Omani colleagues for the hard work that went into preparing this bid, and I look forward to seeing our outstanding and professional race management team, which is 100 percent Omani, put together yet another impressive event next November.”
Oman Sail Head of Marketing Aisha Al Mahrami said: “Compiling the bid document was a team effort but it is easy writing about our beautiful, welcoming, and peaceful country.
“The late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, God Rest His Soul, established Oman Sail to reignite Oman’s maritime heritage and it is this mission that drives us. We are delighted we won; it is for him.”
The news that Oman will host the 2021 49er, 49erFX and Nacra World Championships has been applauded by the global sailing community. President of Asian Sailing Federation Malav Shroff said: “I was highly impressed with Oman Sail’s hosting capabilities during the 2019 International Asian and Oceania Optimist Championships, which saw almost 200 of the world’s best young sailors compete at the Al Mussanah Sports City. It’s an Olympic standard sailing venue and the organisation was of the highest possible standard.
“The conditions were also perfect; the winter months in Oman, which are characterised by blue skies, warm weather, and a consistent windspeed of around 14 knots, are just made for sailing."
As well as showing the world the culture and rich history of Oman, the 2021 World Championships will be the first time for many people in Oman to see current Asian 49er Champions Musab Al Hadi and Waleed Al Kindi in action. The pair are currently in Australia competing at the World 49er Championship, their final event before they attempt to become the first Omani Sailors to qualify for the Olympic Games in Abu Dhabi next month.
Speaking from the World Championship in Geelong, Australia, Musab said: “Waleed and I are fortunate to compete all over the world but there is nothing like racing at home in front of our family, friends, and supporters.
“The facilities both on and off the water in Mussanah are incredible. I look forward to showing the world how beautiful Oman is in 2021.”
