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Muscat, 1^st Feb 2021: Registration for the annual youth sailing event Mussanah Race Week is now open with young sailors from around the world welcome to train and compete in Oman. Set to take place in Al Mussanah Sports City from 26-31 October 2021, the event has traditionally brought world and continental youth champions to the Sultanate’s shores to sail against the best young sailors. This year, for the first time in the event’s history, Oman Sail will mark the 11^th edition by introducing a boat class for young persons with disabilities known as ‘RS Venture’, alongside the Optimist and Laser 4.7 classes.

Rashid Al Kindi, Oman Sail Director of Sailing, said, “Mussanah Race Week has been an exciting fixture in our sailing calendars for a decade now, bringing the best and brightest young sailing talent to Oman. We have seen the benefits of testing our home-grown sailors against the best in the world and providing the platform for young people from different cultures to learn from each other. We are proud to introduce the RS Venture class for the first time to welcome persons with disabilities to the event.”

He added, “It is a great opportunity to include the RS Venture class to let young sailors join those sailing aboard the Optimist and Laser 4.7 classes. It is our hope that the professional and competitive environment at Mussanah Race Week will help to hone their skills and provide useful insight into the possibilities a career in sailing can offer.”

Following four days of racing, participating sailors and coaches will be able to take part in three days of classroom-based training and practice races with coaching in each of the classes provided by world-class professional sailors.

Feras Asqul, Oman Sail’s Mussanah Race Week Project Manager, said: “Taking part in Mussanah Race Week is the ideal preparation for international regattas, both now as a sailing prospect and providing valuable lessons and experience to benefit the competitors in the future. We are looking forward to welcoming sailors from around the world to Mussanah once again and to continue expanding the event with the introduction of the RS Venture class in order to become one of the most important events for local and international sailors to compete and gain experience in an ideal learning environment.”

Al Mussanah Sports City, located 85km north of Muscat, was purpose-built to host Olympic-standard international sporting events with facilities to accommodate thousands of guests, global media and up to 400 boats at its onsite marina. The venue has become synonymous with sailing, successfully hosting high profile events including the 2013 Laser World Championship and 2015 Laser Radial World Championship, among others and is also home to Oman Sail’s sailing school.

Young Omani sailors produced impressive performances at Mussanah Race Week with a win or a podium place finish in every class. The 10^th edition of the region’s largest international youth sailing event saw 121 sailors representing 13 countries gather at the world-class Mussanah Sports City venue for seven days of intensive coaching and international standard racing. This year, the top level event also incorporated the high-profile 2020 Techno Asian Championships, with windsurfers travelling from Asia to compete.

When racing finished on Sunday the celebratory prize-giving ceremony recognised the achievements of some of the world’s best youth sailors, under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Saadi, Majlis Al Shura Representative in Mussanah. He stressed the importance of this annual event in promoting sailing amongst the youth in the region and encouraging more young Omanis to compete at higher levels, “It was a pleasure to see so many young sailors enjoying our beautiful country, particularly the young Omani sailors who excelled in every class. Congratulations to all the winners”.

The results in the Laser 4.7 class saw Oman’s Al Motasem Al Farsi take four race wins on his way to first place ahead of Norway’s Erick Boen and Ali Ahmad from Kuwait. UAE sailor Dhuha was the top girl.

The 53-strong Optimist class – the largest fleet out on the water off Mussanah Sports City – was won by the UAE’s Othman Ak, with Thai Optimist champion Weka Bhanubandh second and Oman racer Elyas Al Fadhali also winning a place on the podium.

The Junior Optimist category was won by Turkish sailor Tayfun Turk, ahead of the UAE’s Saif and Oman’s Tamim Al Balushi. The Turkey team also shone in the girls classification with Ege Naz Aydin and Deniz Ozgun leading the way ahead of Norway’s Emilie Nilsen.

And further demonstrating the international appeal of Mussanah Race Week the Laser Radial class was headed by another member of Norway’s strong team, Tobias Birkeland, who finished just ahead of Oman’s Abdul Malik Al Hinai, with Bahrain’s Dawood Abdulla third.

Young racing sailors from Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kuwait and Qatar were also among those competing in the usual ideal winter sailing conditions offered in Oman.

“As ever Mussanah Race Week offers an unrivalled opportunity for young sailors to come together, develop and test their skills, and take part in friendly but competitive racing against their peers from around the world,” said Rashid Al Kindi, Director of Sailing at the event’s organiser Oman Sail.

“This year has been no exception and it has again been a great pleasure to welcome so many visiting sailors to Oman. We hope they have enjoyed the experience and taken some real benefits from the expert coaching and exhilarating racing we have been able to offer.”

The 2020 Techno Asian Championships – which also attracted windsurfer racers from Japan, Hong Kong and Taipei – saw some intensive racing.

Oman’s Ali Al Sarhi won the Techno 293 Youth class ahead of Hong Kong’s Yuk Kiu Yukie Fung – who was also the top girl – and Omani teammate Abdulrahman Al Mujaini. 

The Techno 293 Plus Youth category was won by Asgar Kikabhoy from Hong Kong ahead of Oman’s Ali Al Omrani and Abdullah Al Sahri, with Abdulmajeed Al Hadrami winning the Open category.

Windsurfing enthusiasts were also able to witness a special showcase for the Starboard iQFoil– the official windsurfer for the 2024 Paris Games – with star Argentinian coach Gonzalo Costa Hoevel, the 2018 Professional Windsurfers Association’s (PWA) Foil World Champion, leading demonstrations and training sessions.

At the event, the Asian Techno class representative, Piotr Oleksiak, said: “Being part of Mussanah Race Week has been a fantastic experience and all the competitors and coaches would like to thank Oman Sail and Mussanah Sports City for making it possible.

“The conditions here in Oman are excellent and the coaching opportunities and the well organised racing have been exceptional.”

As part of Mussanah Race Week three days of world class coaching, both on and off the water, were followed by four days of competitive racing.

Full Mussanah Race Week results can be found at: http://www.mussanahraceweek.com/

Full results of the Techno Asian Championships https://asians2020.techno293.org/

Omani sailors celebrated a series of strong performances at the Mussanah Race Week international dinghy regatta, sealing their success in the concluding races on Wednesday. In a competitive fleet which featured 172 of the best emerging international youth sailors, Omani racers – many part of Oman Sail’s Omantel Youth Programme – won two of the regatta’s five categories, and earned podium places in two more.

Hussain Al Jabri took three race wins on his way to a clear victory in the 27-strong Laser Radial fleet, finishing eight points ahead of Germany’s Roko Mohr with Bahraini sailor Daoud Abdullah a further point behind in third. Ibtisam Al Salmi was the leading female Omani sailor, taking 16th place.

There was also a Sultanate victory in the Techno Plus windsurfer class, with Mohammed Al Balushi taking a narrow two-point win ahead of Hungary’s Richard Geiger. Al Balushi’s teammate Abdullah Al Sarhi completed the podium in third place in the 13-strong fleet.

Oman’s Ali Al Sahri and Mohammed Ali Sahri had to give best in the Techno Under-15 category, finishing second and third respectively behind dominant Hungarian sailor Anna Morvai who won seven of the 11 races.

It was a second spot on the podium too for Abdulmalik Al Hinai in the Laser 4.7 fleet. He put in a solid performance to split a strong contingent from the UAE, with Saif Saeed Almansoori winning the class and Ahmed Younes Alhammadi third.

With many of Oman’s best Optimist sailors away competing in the Monaco Optimist Team Race event, the door was left open for visiting international sailors in the large and highly competitive 78-strong fleet.

German 2017 national Optimist champion Mic Mohr – brother, incidentally, of Laser Radial racer Roko – led from the start and took the class win ahead of Italy’s Alessandro Cortese and Kuzey Kumlali of Turkey. The best result for an Omani sailor was achieved by Salim Al Alawi who finished 33rd.

The success of the eighth edition of the Oman Sail organised Mussanah Race Week was welcomed by H.E. Said Hamdoon Al Harthi, GoH. He said: “What I have seen far exceeds my expectations. To bring all these young sailors from around the world and provide them a platform to learn and develop is an exemplary effort worthy of praise. It is very important that such a successful event grows even bigger and continue the journey”.

Oman Sail’s Youth Program Manager, Mohsin Al Busaidi, added: “Mussanah Race Week is designed to give young sailors a balanced mix of training with high-profile experienced coaches and racing in perfect conditions in the waters of Mussanah.

“Conditions during the four days of racing were not consistent in wind speed or currents, which posed good challenges for the sailors to try and overcome. We are happy that all the teams and sailors have enjoyed the activities.”

Mussanah Race Week attracted some 60 visiting sailors – along with coaches and parents – to the world-class Omani facility at Mussanah Sports City.

Before the three days of racing began the competitors were able to take advantage of top-level coaching sessions, some run by French racing star Sidney Gavignet, a long-time associate of the Oman Sail initiative.

The pre-race training included on-the-water activities focussed on boat speed, boat handling, starts and race tactics, while shore-based sessions covered the racing rules, race strategies, sailing fitness, nutrition, and sports psychology.

The mix of coaching and racing was applauded by visiting team leaders. UAE Team Manager Khawla Al Hamadi said: “The organization of this event is outstanding in all aspects from the accommodation, to the training sessions and the races over the last four days. We are happy to have won the Laser 4.7 title and another podium place in the class. The event was also a great platform to meet the sailors and coaches from other countries and share experiences with them.”

It was a sentiment echoed by Omilayla Suhail, manager of the Pakistan team. He added: “It was a beautiful event and all our sailors enjoyed it and everything went perfectly smooth for us. We are a relatively new team so the best part for us was the three days of coaching sessions. We are already looking forward to next year”.

Mussanah Race Week 2018 has got underway with a total of 172 of the best young international sailors in fierce competition at Mussanah Sports City. In early races several Omani sailors – many part of the Omantel Youth Programme – were demonstrating their emerging talent in the five highly competitive classes.

Mohamed Al Balushi was leading the Techno Plus fleet at the end of the second day, with Abdullah Al Sahri in third after leading the fleet in the opening day. Meanwhile, Abdulmalik Al Hinai was third in the Laser 4.7 class, hard on the heels of the two leading sailors from the UAE. In the Laser Radial, Omani sailor HUSSAIN AL JABRI is leading the fleet of 28 sailors.

The Optimist fleet – the largest class with 94 sailors entered – was led by Italian racer Alessandro Cortese after five races in two days. The leading Omani sailor in the second day stages was Salim Ali Al Alawi in 30^th place, though several of Oman’s best Optimist sailors are away racing in Monaco.

Before racing the competitors were able to take advantage of top-level coaching and workshop sessions, some of the supervised by Mohsin Al Busaidi, Oman Sail Youth Programme Manager.

“It is nice to see young sailors who are motivated and it is nice to see the mix of countries as well,” said Mohsin. “In the briefings we had sailors from several countries, and the more experienced guys were helping out the younger ones, and it was good to have been involved in that.

“I always like to share experience so it is very interesting. Oman Sail want to rekindle sailing in Oman and that is starting with the kids, they are the real light in the candle you could say.

“There are some good sailors and some beginners, and some of the best Omanis are in Monaco at the moment. The coaches are very important and they help get the right dynamic and making sure they are going in the right direction.”

The many Omani sailors will be hoping to match their strong performance in 2017 when they won four gold medals in the seven category finals.

Pre-race training included a focus on boat speed, boat handling, starts and race tactics, while shore-based sessions covered the racing rules, sail fitness, nutrition, race strategy, and sports psychology.

The eighth edition of Mussanah Race Week has attracted some 60 visiting sailors – along with coaches and parents – to the world-class Omani facility at Mussanah Sports City. Among the foreign entries are sailors from Hungary, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Italy, the UAE, Poland, Portugal, Thailand and Turkey.

On the evening before racing started the sailors, coaches and accompanying parents, were invited to attend a themed Arabic Nights event to experience first-hand Omani hospitality and traditions.

Mussanah Sports City, meanwhile, has a growing international reputation for hosting top-line events, having held the 2013 Laser World Championship and 2015 Laser Radial World Championship.

Final preparations are underway at Mussanah Sports City as the world-class Omani facility prepares to welcome some of the best young international sailors to Mussanah Race Week 2018.

The Oman Sail organised regatta has gone from strength to strength since the first event in 2011, attracting a growing number of youthful yacht racers eager to take advantage of the idyllic January sailing conditions and the top-level coaching and training on offer.

This year’s eighth edition – which starts with coaching on January 11 and finishes with four days of racing concluding on January 17 – will see some 91 visiting sailors arriving from no fewer than 20 countries including Angola, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Thailand and Turkey. Almost one-third of the foreign sailors are female.

In addition, numerous Omani sailors – many part of the Omantel Youth Sailing Programme – will also be competing and hoping to repeat their success in 2017 when they won four gold medals in the seven category finals held.

French racing star Sidney Gavignet, a long-time associate of the Oman Sail initiative, will be running several of the workshop sessions during the week.

“We are looking forward to welcoming the many young sailors who will be joining us for what I am sure will be another exciting and rewarding Mussanah Race Week,” said Mohsin Al Busaidi, manager of the youth programme.

“The regatta is a marvellous opportunity to bring youthful sailors from around the world together in a friendly and competitive environment.

“The extensive expertise of Oman Sail in organising events like this, combined with the unrivalled facilities provided by Mussanah Sports City and the many workshop and coaching sessions laid on, make this an event that will be enjoyed and valued by all who take part,” he added.

Racing will be held in Optimist, Techno 293 and Laser Radial and 4.7 classes, with 12 races scheduled for each class. The largest single class is the Optimist category with 54 foreign sailors entered, who will provide a stern test for the many Omani competitors who will also be racing in the international dinghy.

Training will include an on-the-water focus on boat speed, boat handling, starts and race tactics, while shore-based sessions will cover rules, fitness, nutrition, race strategy, and sports psychology.

The venue for several international sailing events including the 2013 Laser World Championship and 2015 Laser Radial World Championship, Mussanah Sports City is located 85km north of Muscat and 60km from Muscat International Airport, and combines a beautiful coastal location with state-of-the-art regatta and visitor facilities.

The race is on to book a place for Oman’s increasingly popular Mussanah Race Week as registration opens for the 2018 event in January.

Now going into its eighth edition, the Oman Sail organised regatta has year-on-year since 2011 attracted a growing number of young international sailors to the world-class Mussanah Sports City venue.

The 2017 event saw fierce competition out on the water involving more than 120 youthful racers representing 20 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Germany, Hungary, Malta, Peru, Singapore and Sweden. The many Omani sailors taking part distinguished themselves, taking four gold medals from the seven finals held.

With Mussanah Race Week entries limited, competition for a place at the event in 2018 looks likely to be equally hard fought.

Mussanah Race Week will be held from January 11th to 17th with classes for Optimist, Laser 4.7 and Techno 293 windsurfers.

Four days of racing will be preceded by three days of coaching and a practice race, with training camps for each of the classes provided by world-class international professional racing sailors.

The training camps on offer will include on-the-water sessions focused on boat speed, boat handling, starts and race tactics. Lectures ashore will cover race strategy, rules, fitness, nutrition and psychology.

“Following years of hosting successful sailing championships, Mussanah Sport City has become known as an ideal venue for international events, with its perfect wind conditions and world-class facilities,” said Salma Al Hashmi, Chief Marketing Officer at Oman Sail.

“Oman Sail has developed great expertise in putting on events such as Mussanah Race Week to bring young sailors from around the world annually in a competitive and friendly environment where they can learn new sailing skills and put what they have already learnt into practice,”

“We look forward to welcoming these young sailors to Oman to develop successful sailing paths and make great strides in building their future careers.”

Located 85km north of Muscat and 60km from Muscat International Airport, Mussanah Sports City combines a beautiful Batinah coast location with state-of-the-art regatta and visitor facilities. It has been the venue for several international sailing events, including the 2013 Laser World Championship and 2015 Laser Radial World Championship.

Oman Sail, in conjunction with the Millennium Resort at Mussanah Sports City, is able to offer a full Mussanah Race Week event package which covers entry fee, boat charter, airport transfers and accommodation, available to sailors, coaches and supporters. A tailor-made travel package offer by Oman Air will also be available soon.

Online registration for Mussanah Race Week is available at https://mussanahraceweek.com/registration/