Oman Sail’s 49er teams return to action this week in La Grande Motte, France, as the 2024 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships get underway. The pairings of Musab Al Hadi and Waleed Al Kindi, and Abdul Rahman Al Mashari and Ahmed Al Hasni, will join 71 teams from 25 nations in the 49er competition as a total of 148 crews, including Olympic sailors vying of national selection, look to take home the gold.
The two Omani teams will be battling it out against 11 Olympic qualifiers, in what is the last big meet before the Paris 2024 Sailing Competition. Having narrowly missed out on qualification, all four Omani sailors will be looking to show their skill on the water and continue to improve ahead of a busy second half of the year.
Hashim Al Rashdi, Oman Sail’s Head of Performance and 49er coach, said, “The European Championships are a great opportunity to continue our journey in the 49er competition and compete against some of the very best crews in the world. It is also the start of a new campaign and we’re hopeful of a strong performance in France this week. The conditions and the fleet are very similar to the Olympic competition and the level of competition is expected to be very high. This is our chance to grow as sailors while learning from more experienced competitors in the 49er event.”
Racing officially begins on 7 May after a full day of practice, and will continue until 12 May with three races per day. The first three days have been designated for Qualifying Series races with the top 10 boats in each event moving on to the final series and medal races from 10-12 May where the winners will be decided.
The 2024 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championships are organised by the Yacht Club de La Grande Motte in conjunction with the International 49er and Nacra 17 Class Associations.
