Teams race during the Extreme 40 Sailing Series event held at Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center last week. The Wave Muscat team claimed the title at the end of the four-day competition, which boasted some of the best sailors in the world competing in stadium-style races. China Team finished last in the standings. Provided to China Daily

City might become first in Asia to launch a Sailing World Cup event

Qingdao might be "The City of Even More Sailing" pretty soon.

Already a regular host of the Clipper Round the World and Extreme 40 Sailing Series, Qingdao is also close to getting the Sailing World Cup.

Lin Zhiwei, head of the Qingdao Sports Federation, said the host city of the Beijing Olympic sailing regatta has a good chance to become the first Asian city to hold the World Cup.

"We are discussing details about hosting it - it would be the first time the World Cup has launched a stop in Asia," Lin said during the Extreme Sailing Series stop last week at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center.

"The World Cup, as a points race for the Olympic Games, will bring all the world's best sailors to compete in Qingdao. The Olympic sailing games built a solid foundation for the sport's development in Qingdao, and we have carried on to promote sailing vibrantly after the Olympics. The competitions we are organizing now are no less exciting than the Olympics."

Qingdao already renewed a two-year contract with the amateur Clipper Round the World race, and extended a three-year cooperation with Extreme Sailing, a series that brings Olympians and sailing masters from the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race.

At this year's event, which ended on Friday, the Wave Muscat team from Oman claimed first place under captain Leigh McMillan, while the China Team finished last among nine teams after competing in 30 rounds in four days.

The act in Qingdao also attracted three-time World Match Racing Tour champion Ian Williams and two-time Olympic title winner Roman Hagara with their teams GAC Pindar and Red Bull.

"Qingdao is definitely a city of sailing," said Remi Duchemin, CEO of British company OC Thirdpole, which developed and has managed the series since 2007. "This is the sixth season of the competition. I have to say the stop in Qingdao is one of the best.

"To organize a good sailing event, we need the best sailing teams, we need some very good sailing conditions, and we need regular wind for four days. Then we need an international city to host the event, and Qingdao is a perfect city for us to display.

"We have a long-time partnership with Qingdao, and we will improve step by step. I think we have made improvements in many aspects this year. I was especially impressed by the quality and the show of the opening and closing ceremony, and I think we have to capitalize on them, to make it unique, because it's a great asset for the act in Qingdao."

Being new to the series, the China Team - which was the Chinese challenger for the America's Cup - headed to Qingdao as a wildcard entry and finished last with 74 points, 55 points behind the Alinghi team in eighth place.

Duchemin said he expects the China Team to improve by joining more series.

By Xie Chuanjiao (China Daily)

Contact the writers at xiechuanjiao@chinadaily.com.cn and tangzhe@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/23/2012 page31)