Buoyed by the encouraging display of the young sailors at the recently-concluded IODA Asian and Oceanian Championship in Mussanah, Oman Sail has named a strong 15-member for the Arab Sailing Championship in Alexandria, Egypt, which will be held from October 20-26.

With the hopes high for another strong showing at the Arab meet, Oman Sail is aiming for top honours in three Laser classes – Standard, Radial and 4.7 – Optimist dinghy category and RS:X windsurfing class.

Oman sailors had in the past won class honours at the Arab meet, which this time will have competitors from hosts Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq.

Prior to the Arab meet, the Laser and Optimist sailors will compete the Abu Dhabi Open Regatta, which will be held from October 14-19.

The selected Laser sailors for Alexandria are Hussain al Jabri, Haitham al Wahaibi (Standard), Ahmed al Balushi, Zakariya al Wahabi (Radial) and Abdul al Hinai and Al Motasem al Farsi (4.7).

Leading the Optimist fleet is Saleem al Alawi, who finished seventh at the 2019 IODA Asian and Oceanian Championship on Sunday. Joining him for the Arab meet are  Mohammed al Qasmi, who finished 11th at the IODA meet, Ablaj al Dughaishi, Jihad al Hasani and Nibras al Awaisi. 

The RS:X windsurfing team, which will make its debut will comprise Faisal al Qutaiti, Abdul al Hadhrami and Hammad al Mujaini. 

Mohsin al Busaidi, head of Oman Sail youth pathway project manager, will be the team leader and will be accompanied by  Rashid al Kindi, Oman Sail’s acting director of sailing.

Speaking on the team selection, Kindi said, “We want to create a springboard for 2020 by finishing this season on a high. 

“This is the last international event of the year for the Laser and Optimist sailors. 

“We have high hopes from our boys at the championship as the Laser 4.7 squad had been on podium at the Asian meet.” 

Kindi added, “Our windsurfers are making their debut but the squad is an ideal mix of senior and young sailiors and it will be a nice opportunity for team building. We expect podium finishes in most of the classes.”

 

Congratulations to Muscat Daily on its tenth anniversary from everyone at Oman Sail. For a decade, the newspaper has provided a vital source of information, delivering in-depth coverage and sharing a wealth of knowledge across a wide range of topics. 

Muscat Daily has always offered a balanced and considered account with unique insight into the wider context. For ten years we have appreciated the commitment to accuracy and detail, and your passion for telling the stories – big and small – which has defined the paper’s approach to journalism.

Your passion for sport comes across loud and clear, especially when it comes to encouraging Omani nationals to participate in (our) sports events or indeed celebrating the success of the Omani sports men, women, boys and girls which we really appreciate. We look forward to many more years of your great journalism.   

 

David Graham

Oman Sail CEO