Sri Lanka’s Junior National Sailing Team leaves for IODA International Sailing Championship

Sri Lanka’s Junior National Sailing Team comprising of seven boys and three girls, all under the age of 15 will represent the country in Abu Dhabi in the coming week.The week-long event, an international Regatta in the Optimist class, will be held from the 30th of October to the 4th of November, under the aegis of the Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club.

The team comprises of: Yusef Hazari (Royal College), Kevaan de Costa (Royal College), Minuga Hettigamage (Royal College), Vonal Botheju (Royal College), Luqman Aneeq (Royal College), Muazzam Imtiaz (Royal College), Haren Wickramathillake (S. Thomas’ College), Sohanya de Mel (Ladies College), Kyoshi Samarakkody (Ladies College) and Kyasha Samarakkody (Ladies College).They are trained by national sailing coach Krishan Janaka and assistant national coach Roshil Nishantha.

“This year’s team has been training in the Trincomalee seas as well as at the Mattakuliya Naval base. We are confident they will do well,” said Krishan Janaka, the national sailing coach of Sri Lanka.

Due to the high number of sailors participating in this year’s event, the 2023 championships will field three fleets instead of the regular two – Gold and Silver. A total of 160 racers from around the world including Sri Lanka, the USA, Australia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, China, India, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE are expected to participate this year.

The event is the continental championship for Asian and Oceanian member nations that are part of the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA).

The championship will kick off with an opening ceremony on the 30th of October and a series of races are scheduled each day. The races will wind down with a closing ceremony on the 4th of October.IODA is the international body that groups national Optimist associations in charge of the regulation and development of the Optimist sailing in each country.