Oman Sail’s Optimist Team to participate in International Süleymanpaşa Optimist Cup

Muscat: Oman Sail has selected eleven Optimist sailors from three of its sailing schools to represent the nation in Tekirdağ, on northern coast of Türkiye’s Sea of Marmara for the five-day International Süleymanpaşa Optimist Cup. Being held at the Tekirdağ Sailing Club, the competition features over 400 sailors from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Kuwait, Thailand and Malaysia, as well as hosts Türkiye and Oman.

The team will be led by Ghalib Al Maamari, Centre Manager of Mussanah Sailing School at Oman Sail, with coach Sultan Al Zedjali and assistants Jassim Al Harbi and Hajir Al Amrani supporting the young sailors.

Representing Oman will be Hassan Al Wahaibi, Abdul Rahman Al Hadi, Habib Al Hassani and Harib Al Busaidi from the Al Mouj Muscat Sailing School, Tameem Al Balushi, Soud Al Shaqsi, Feras Al Nabhani, Tarteel Al Hassani and Hadeel Al Musharfi from Mussanah, and Khamis Al Mushaikhi and Hassan Al Oraimi from Sur. All of the sailors have earned their place in the team through a series of strong performances at the recent Oman National Sailing Championship.

Ghalib Al Maamari, Team Leader, said, “This is another excellent opportunity for our young sailors to gain experience, test themselves and understand the demands of performing at an international regatta. We are looking forward to seeing their progress, especially after the Oman National Sailing Championship and training camp in Ras Al Hadd where the entire team showed promising signs of improvement both physically and technically.”

Sultan Al Zedjali, Head Coach, said, “Sailing is a global sport and the chance to interact with, compete against and learn from sailors of a similar age but different backgrounds are a great experience for our team. We need to learn how to manage a variety of conditions and prepare for races, and we are very confident that the team will perform at its best in Türkiye.” Racing gets underway with a practice session on Friday, 1 September, and following the opening ceremony the main series of races begins the next day.

The team will have an opportunity to explore the city of Tekirdağ and interact with their peers from around the world as they gain vital experience on and off the water. The medal presentation and closing ceremony will take place on Tuesday, 5 September 2023.