Ras Al Hamra Boat Club hosts Olympic sailing gold medallist Caterina Banti

Muscat: The Ras Al Hamra Boat Club (RAHBC) last night warmly welcomed Caterina Banti, Gold medalist at Tokyo 2020 in the Nacra 17 class to Oman for an exclusive evening with the Italian and sailing communities in Oman.

Held under the patronage of HE Federica Favi, Ambassador of Italy to the Sultanate of Oman, and Dana Sarhani, RAHBC Commodore, and in partnership with the Italian Sailing Federation, Oman Sail, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and the Italian Embassy in Muscat at Sohar Gardens. Guest speakers also included Dr Francesco Ettore, President of the Italian Sailing Federation, and Dr Khamis Al Jabri, CEO of Oman Sail.

The guests were warmly welcomed by Adel Foory, President of RAHRC and his team who manage the club and its 45 sections that are run primarily by volunteers since 1961. Adel commented “we are proud of our sailing community who have navigated their way through the last few months and have kept their passion for sailing alive despite restrictions with courses and activities. They were the last community to host an event in 2020 and the first community to host their RAHBC annual regatta when things reopened”.

Dana Sarhani, RAHBC Commodore, said, “It is a great honour to welcome Caterina Banti to Oman and provide an opportunity for her to share her sailing experiences and achievements with Club members. We are equally honoured that Dr Ettore and Dr Al Jabri can share stories from their extensive maritime careers. Oman and Italy both have a deep affinity with the sea and sailing, and we were able to hear first-hand their visions on the future of this sport and gather the views of those best placed in Oman to make these plans a reality.”

Caterina Banti is the one of the most successful sailors in Italian history, winning gold at the 2018 Nacra 17 World Championships, and three gold medals at the Nacra 17 European Championships between 2017 and 2020. Her gold in Japan with teammate Ruggero Tita was Italy’s fourth Olympic gold medal in sailing and the first since 2000.

Guests were enthralled by the story of her rise through the sport, the determination to qualify and how she coped with the postponement of the Games. Dr Ettore shared an insight into the strategy for a more inclusive and youth-orientated sport while Dr Al Jabri gave his perspective on sailing in Oman and the potential for Oman Sail to win a medal at future Olympic Games.

Other speakers throughout the evening included champion sailor Musab Al Hadi; Ibtisam Al Salmi, one of the first female sailors in the country; Oman Sail’s Head of Performance Hashim Al Rashdi; and manager of SailFree, the first para sailing programme in the region, Khamis Al Anbouri.

Each panellist answered questions on the future of the sport, with a particular focus on how sailors can use their position to encourage more women and young people to take to the water whilst also highlighting the values of hard work, dedication and teamwork.

The evening concluded with a reception and the commitment by stakeholders to further explore joint ways of working together to benefit the sport of sailing both in Oman and Italy.