280 Oppies for the 2017 Worlds
2016 Optiworlds. Vilamoura, Portugal – © Matias Capizzano
Thailand has been selected to host the Optimist World Championship 2017, with 62 sailing nations and 280 sailors, a record breaking total for this World event.
Each country will send their most skilled Optimist sailors to race as national representatives to compete in the waters off Pattaya Beach. The event will take place from 11-21 July, 2017 at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club (RVYC) in Pattaya.
Thomas Whitcraft, President of the Optimist World Championship 2017, said, “We would like to thank all of our strategic partners and sponsors to make the Optimist World Championship 2017 such a massive draw for competitors.
“This is a record breaker in terms of the number of sailors competing here and the number of countries represented.
“This year is notable also for the number of Asian countries taking place after several years of absence. They include China, Macau, Taiwan (officially called Chinese Taipei), Myanmar, Indonesia, India and the UAE. Several teams will also travel from the South American continent, including Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay and Chile.”
The Optimist Dinghy has proven to be the ideal boat for introducing young children to the sport of sailing.
The objective of the class is to provide an affordable racing boat for young people.
Optimist Dinghy sailors typically start at the age of 7 or 8 and continue to 15 years of age. More than 85% of all sailors who participated in the Rio Olympics sailed in Optimist dinghies when they were young.
