Muscat, Oct 7 (ONA) --- A highly competitive 2019 Optimist

Asian and Oceanian Championship came to an end in the Sultanate

with a celebratory prize-giving and closing ceremony at Mussanah

Sports City. The hard work and skills of the 146 sailors from 21

countries who had gathered in the Sultanate for the high-profile

International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) regional event were

applauded as trophies were awarded.

             Thailand lead the way with Panwa Boonnak the 2019 Optimist

Asian and Oceanian champion. He topped the overall and gold fleet

table ahead of his teammate Weka Bhanubandh, with Brazil’s

Guilherme Menezes completing the podium. Hong Kong’s Julia

Jacobsen was the leading female youth sailor, finishing in 12th place

overall, and Australia’s Matty Goss won the Oceanian section after

taking eighth place overall.

          Six members of the Oman home team finished in the top-25

overall, with Saleem al-Alawi the best placed in seventh while

Mohammed al-Qasmi took two race wins on his way to 11th place. A

total of 10 of Oman’s 16-strong team qualified to race in the top gold

fleet over the last two days of the Oman Sail hosted and organised

championship.

             Earlier in the event, the Oman squad had also been able to

celebrate qualifying for their first ever Team Racing Championship final,

going to head-to-head against Thailand with the Thai team

successfully defending their 2018 Asian title to win for the second

successive year. Australia was the winner of the Oceanian Team

Racing title.

           The closing ceremony was attended by World Sailing President

Kim Anderson, Sheikh Sa'ad bin Mohammed Al Mardhouf al-Sa'adi,

Minister of Sports Affairs, Sayyid Khalid al-Busaidi, Oman Olympic

Committee Chairman, and IODA representatives.

             Speaking at the prize-giving and closing ceremony in front of

VIPs, the sailors, and their coaches, family and friends, Oman Sail

CEO David Graham said: “It has been our pleasure to host some of the

world’s most talented youth sailors here and to watch the beginnings of

what I’m sure will be long and successful careers in sailing.

“Sport has an immense power to unite people from different

backgrounds and this event extends far beyond sailing – it is an

opportunity to embrace different cultures, create new friendships and

develop skills that can last a lifetime. I would like to thank the young

sailors for their amazing displays of sailing and sportsmanship this

week. The event has given our young Omani sailors an opportunity to

sail against the world’s best, and represent their country. We are so

proud of their progress and commitment to the sport.”

        The 2019 Optimist Asian and Oceanian Championship attracted

teams to Oman from Australia, China, New Zealand, Turkey, Malaysia,

Brazil, Singapore, Finland, Bahrain, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Iraq,

Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the UAE and the USA.

          Closing the championship IODA Vice President Ajay Narang

oversaw the flag ceremony which saw the IODA flag passed from

Oman to Sri Lanka, who will host the 2020 event. He said: “This

championship will leave a great legacy in Mussanah and around the

Sultanate of Oman. The sailors made us proud and have learnt what it

means to be true champions. They have shown us that a new

generation is ready to embrace and share the values of the sport.”

--- Ends/KH