Qingdao still a work in progress

The city of Qingdao has been working on building itself up as a city of sails ever since it successfully hosted the 2008 Olympics' sailing program.

Lying on the Shandong Peninsula, Qingdao has introduced a number of national and international competitions since the Games, highlighted by the Volvo Ocean Race, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the Extreme 40 Sailing Series. In October, Qingdao will also become the first Asian city to host an ISAF Sailing World Cup event.

Apart from those top-level meets, there is a strong drive to promote the sport at the grassroots level in the city.