Al Bareh International Regatta 2013

BAHRAIN is set to organise the 20th edition of Al Bareh International Regatta 2013 from June 25 to 29 at the Bahrain Maritime Sports Association premises near in Al Jazayer Beach.

Teams representing 12 countries from all around the region are lined up for the five-day annual competition, which has become one of the major international sailing events in the region.

Prominent sailors will come from Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, India and host nation Bahrain, as the championship is set to come back for the 20th successive year.

More than 100 sailors are scheduled to compete in four different classes, namely the Optimist, Laser Radial, Laser 4.7 and the Laser Standard.

The Bahrain Maritime Sports Association (BMSA), under the presidency of Shaikh Khalifa bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, has invited several international professional juries to manage the championship.

Luca Babini of Italy is heading the jury committee, which also includes China’s Chang Zhuohong, Dr. Walch Lorenz of Germany, Paul Schilizzi and Marina Psychogyiou of Greece, Abdulahmeed Morsi of Egypt, Pakistan’s Abdul Rehman Arshad and Bahraini Issa Al Busmit.

This year’s championship comes shortly after the GCC Sailing Organising Committee had won third place in the 2013 GCC Sport and Environment Award.

Shaikh Khalifa, who is also chairman of the GCC Sailing Committee, received the award from Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa during the GCC Olympic Committees Presidents’ meeting in Bahrain.

Shaikh Khalifa said he was proud for being in the top three this year after winning first place last year, noting that the GCC Committee will maintain its slogan ‘Sailing Green Energy’ in all its sailing championship in 2013 and emphasizing the importance of keeping a clean environment for all athletes.

In last year’s edition, over 50 sailors from around the Middle East region and further afield descended on Bahrain Sailing Club.

Abdulrahim Abdulla of Bahrain was crowned Laser Standard class champion. Fellow Bahraini sailors Dawood Abdulla and Saoud Al Naar came on top in the Laser 4.7 and Optimist Classes, respectively, while Egypt's Ahmed Raghab took the Laser Radial trophy.

As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.

These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only