MUSCAT: Oman Sail’s Musannah Sailing School has been selected by the Asian Sailing Federation (Asaf) to become a Category A High Performance Centre. The facility, host venue for several high-profile international events including the 2021 Youth Sailing World Championships, was universally praised by Asaf for its facilities and ability to host international events and Olympic class sailboats.
As a high performance centre, the Musannah Sailing School will be the site of training and development programmes for sailors and coaches across Asia and host clinics from beginner through to elite level. Musannah will also organise local, regional and national sailing events to grow sailing in Oman, and create partnerships with local schools, sailing clubs and organisations to introduce the community to sailing.
Dr Khamis al Jabri, Oman Sail CEO, said, “The sporting legacy of the Musannah Sailing School makes it the ideal choice for a high performance centre that will benefit the entire continent. Oman Sail’s teams and young sailors have been training and racing here in the pristine waters and weather conditions with impressive results and we have already hosted a vast range of events from windsurfing to optimist to major world championships here. This next step in the development of sailing in Oman and across Asia has the potential to develop talent to perform at the very highest levels and we are delighted to be able to play an important role in realising that goal.”
Ahmed al Qasmi, In Charge of Sailing Department, commented, “The impact of the Musannah Sailing School on Omani sailing has already been felt at all levels. From high performing youth to the national Olympic squad, our best sailors have had the opportunity to hone their skills here and prepare for competition. We are excited to be able to give back to Asian sailing and help to shape the future of sailing on the continent while also creating opportunities for our sailors to learn from their peers, rivals and friends.”
Dr Malav Shroff, President of the Asian Sailing Federation, added, “The Sultanate of Oman has a rich maritime history dating back centuries and Oman Sail has embraced this heritage to create a thriving sailing programme with roots all along the coastline. We have been privileged to have visited Musannah a number of times for events and have always been impressed with the high-quality facilities, the location and accessibility, and the attention to detail of the complex. Everything is in place for Musannah to be an incubator of talent across Asia and is the perfect location for a high performance centre.”
The Musannah Sailing School was originally built as part of the Al Musannah Sports City complex for the 2010 Asian Beach Games. Since then, Oman Sail and its partners the Barcelo Musannah Resort have developed the venue into a world class sailing and watersports hub capable of hosting the world’s largest events. An on-site marina, accommodation, media facilities, and direct access to the water has made Musannah the venue of choice for sailing events in Oman, and the year-round weather conditions allow training to continue uninterrupted.
In the past two years alone, the Musannah Sailing School has hosted the 2021 Asian Windsurfing Championships, 2021 49er & 49er FX Asian Championships, 2021 49er, 49er FX & Nacra 17 World Championships 2021 ILCA 6 World Championships, 2021 Youth Sailing World Championships, Arab Sailing Championships 2022, and the 2022 RS Venture Connect World Championships – the first exclusively para world sailing event to be held in Oman. The venue has also been the regular home venue for the Musannah Race Week and an important stop on Oman Sail’s own Sailing Arabia – The Tour.
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