Oman Sail youth team to participate in Al Bareh International Regatta 2022

Muscat: Oman Sail’s youth sailing team is participating in the 29th annual Al Bareh International Regatta from 22-25 June, 2022 at the Bahrain Maritime Sports Association off the coast of Al Jazaeer Beach, Zallaq, Bahrain. The seven sailors are competing in ILCA 4 and ILCA 6 classes as part of a 54-strong fleet from seven nations, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia and the UAE, in what will be an ideal opportunity to measure their progress against sailors of the same age from around the region.

Led by coach Ahmed al Wahaibi and team leader Mohammed al Balushi, the team will be looking to impress and show how much progress they have made this season.

The squad has been selected based on ranking races and will feature: Elyas al Fadhli, Osama al Zadjali, Ablaj al Dughaishi, Salim al Hamdani and Nibras al Owaisi in the ILCA 4 class, and Al Motasem al Farsi and Abdul Malik al Hinai in the ILCA 6 class.

Hashim al Rashdi, Oman Sail’s Head of Performance, said, “We are looking forward to what will be a very interesting test of the progress our sailors have made. The Al Bareh International Regatta is one of the longest-running regattas in the region and we will be looking to continue Oman’s strong track record of good performances. This will also serve as vital practice as we prepare for regattas throughout the year and develop the skills and experience of our young team.”

Mohammed al Balushi, Team Leader and Centre Manager of the Oman Sail Mussanah Sailing School, said, “Our team has improved a lot already this year and the chance to sail against the peers from across the region will be a tough test. We are looking forward to travelling to Bahrain and putting our training into practice will give our young sailors a chance to impress and identify areas of additional development as we build towards a busy second half of the year.”

Alongside racing in ILCA 4 and ILCA 6 classes, fleets in Optimist and ILCA 7 Standard will be also competing. Each class will consist of 10 races across three days where the top three places will be decided. After the conclusion of the Al Bareh Sailing International Regatta, the young squad will return to Oman and prepare for the upcoming Optimist World Championship taking place from June 27 to July 7.