Oman Sail’s 2021 sailing season came to a close with the successful hosting of the Youth World Sailing Championships, the Oman Sailing Festival and a new world record set at the beach clean-up event at Barceló Resort Mussanah.

A fleet of 433 sailors from more than 60 nations competed in 11 events with blue skies and winds of 8 – 10 knots rounded off five days of world-class competition. Away from the competition, Oman Sail has set a Guinness World Records™ title for the Most Nationalities Collecting Litter. Participants at the Youth Sailing World Championships, including sailors, Oman Sail officials, staff at Barceló Mussanah Resort and members from the OMRAN Group broke a new record with 73 nationalities collecting over 344kg of litter at Mussanah public beach on 15 December.

 

Dr Khamis Al Jabri, CEO of Oman Sail, said, “This has been an excellent end to a momentous season for sailing in Oman. The successful delivery of a series of World and Asian Championships held in Mussanah, the return of Sailing Arabia – The Tour, and the nationwide Sailing Festival, has seen some of the very best sailors in the world compete on these shores and inspire communities and future sailors across the country. Setting a new world record for our commitment to the environment underlines Oman Sail’s dedication to sustainability and preserving our beautiful coastline for generations to come. We hope that the impact will be felt in increased environmental awareness and sporting prowess in the future.”

 

He added, “We would like to thank the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Information and the support from Oman TV and Oman TV Sport, the Royal Navy of Oman, the Royal Oman Police, OMRAN, the technical delegates, race management and officials, and boat manufacturers, as well as all of our strategic partners. Oman Sail is certainly proud to host a spectacular event and welcome more than 1000 to mark the 50th edition of this prestigious sailing championships, the first to be held in Middle East.”

 

This season has seen the eyes of the global sailing community turn towards the Sultanate as Oman Sail hosted the 2021 Asian Windsurfing Championships, Mussanah Race Week, the 2021 49er, 49er FX & Nacra 17 Asian Championships and the 2021 49er, 49er FX & Nacra 17 World Championships from 16-21 November. Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2021, set entirely within Oman returned this year while the 2021 ILCA Radial World Championships ran concurrently in Mussanah, from 29 November to 6 December 2021.

 

The latest stop in the Oman Sailing Festival was also at the Barceló Mussanah during the Youth Sailing World Championships, where more than 160 visitors of all ages took the opportunity to try sailing and windsurfing for free. The festival also featured a market showcasing local products designed and made by Omani entrepreneurs. To date, the Oman Sailing Festival has introduced over 2000 people to the sport, with many returning to take lessons at Oman Sail’s Sailing Schools in Sur, Marina Bandar Al Rowdha and Al Mouj Muscat.

 

The Oman Sailing Festival continues in January with two more stops. Hawana Salalah from 6-8 January 2022 and Duqm from 11-15 January 2022. The festival is proudly supported by platinum sponsor OQ, gold sponsors Oman Air and Salsabeel, and environmental partners Be’ah and the Environment Society of Oman. To pre-register for Oman Sailing Festival events, please visit www.omansail.com/sailing-festival-activities or search #SailWithUs on social media.