 Paralympic Sailing Regatta unfurls in Qingdao
By Xue Xiaoying (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-10 07:49
QINGDAO: The 2008 Paralympic Sailing Regatta began on September 8 at Fushan Bay in Qingdao with 80 athletes from 25 nations participating. Each class of racing will have 11 rounds of matches. The largest in history, a total field of 41 boats will compete in three events - the one-person 2.4-m keelboat, two-person SKUD18 keelboat and three-person Sonar. The Paralympics sailing regatta was held for the first time in the 1996 Atlanta Games but only as a demonstration event. It was officially added into the Games in Sydney four years later with two classes of boats. "We will do our utmost to perfect the organizing work to satisfy the international communities, the athletes from different countries, the Chinese people and especially people with disabilities to achieve our goal of 'two Games, equal splendor'," said Xia Geng, mayor of Qingdao. "The magic blend of Qingdao, the Paralympic Games and these sailors will be spoken about for years to come," said Serge Jorgensen, president of the International Federation of Disabled Sailing (IFDS) "From the beer to the docks, and from the ceremonies to the racing - the experience is truly world class." The Chinese sailing team of six sailors will compete in all three events. Other teams include those from Canada, Australia and Great Britain, which are all potential medalists. World-class athletes competing in the Paralympics regatta include most of the champions in the previous two Games. Gold medalists Heiko Kroger from Germany, who won in Sydney, and France's Damien Seguin, who topped the 2.4-m class in Athens, are on hand in Qingdao, as are the Australian and Israeli teams that won gold in the Sonar class in Sydney and Athens. Phil Vardy, IFDS technical delegate, said the competition venue at Qingdao is the best ever provided for a disabled sailing regatta. Chinese sailing team has given a fair performance in the first two days' competition. So far the best achievement is the SKUD 18 class, finishing fourth after five races. "We don't have any pressure. We hope we can have good results and discover our inadequacies through competition," said Yang Xiujuan, a sailor in the SKUD 18 class. "The Chinese sailing team has trained for only two years so it is already big progress to reach our current level of achievement," said Su Li, coach of Chinese team. "It is important to keep in a good condition. You don't have to be first in every round, but you will be the winner if you maintain a good performance," said Vasileios Christoforou, a Greek sailor in the Sonar class. "Qingdao is a beautiful city and I hope I find my lady luck here," said Damien Seguin, French competitor in the 2.4-m class. "No matter the outcome, this is a moment to remember. It is a further step forward in the Paralympic movement with the Paralympic spirit on the Yellow Sea," said Masoud Ashrafi, executive board member of International Paralympic Council. A volunteer team of more than 2,200 members is also participating in the Paralympics, many of whom had rich experiences during the Olympics. (China Daily 09/10/2008 page24) |
