Junior sailing team leaves for IODA International Championship
(From left): Kyoshi Samarakkody, Minuga Hettigamage, Kevaan de Costa, Yusef Hazari, Muazzam Imtiaz, Krishan Janaka (National Coach), Jayanatha Gunasekara (Manager), Vonal Botheju, Luqman Aneeq, Kyasha Samarakkody, Sohanya de Mel and Haren Wickramathillake
Sri Lanka’s junior national sailing team left for the IODA Asian and Oceanian Championship yesterday, where the team of seven boys and three girls, all under the age of 15, will represent the country in Abu Dhabi in the coming week. The week-long event, an international regatta in the Optimist class, will be held begin today and end on November 5, under the aegis of the Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club.
The students comprising of six from Royal College, one from S. Thomas’ College and three from Ladies’ College, qualified after trials, and make up the national team that was trained by the national sailing coach Krishan Janaka and assistant national coach Roshil Nishantha.
The team comprises Yusef Hazari, Kevaan de Costa, Minuga Hettigamage, Vonal Botheju, Luqman Aneeq, Muazzam Imtiaz, all from Royal College, Haren Wickramathillake from S. Thomas’ College, Sohanya de Mel, Kyoshi Samarakkody and Kyasha Samarakkody, all three from Ladies’ College.
“This year’s team has been training in the Trincomalee seas as well as at the Mattakuliya Naval Base. We are confident they will do well,” said Janaka, the national sailing coach.
Due to the high number of sailors participating in this year’s event, the 2023 championships will field three fleets instead of the regular two – gold and silver. A total of 160 racers from around the world including Sri Lanka, the USA, Australia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, China, India, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE are expected to participate this year.
“Most of the sailors participated in the last year’s championship as well after a three year break due to Covid. We hope that they will bring home a medal this time,” said Sarath Kuragama, the Chief Operating Officer of the Yachting Association of Sri Lanka.
The event is the continental championship for Asian and Oceanian member nations that are part of the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA). The championship will kick off with an opening ceremony today and a series of races are scheduled each day. The races will wind down with a closing ceremony on the final day. IODA is the international body that groups national Optimist associations in charge of the regulation and development of the Optimist sailing in each country.