The 16th Qingdao International Sailing Week and Qingdao International Marine Festival, and First China (Qingdao) International Marine Sports Meeting will be held from September 6 till September 23.

The sports meeting will consist of sailing events, marine sports events, fashionable beach sports events, exchanges on Olympic sailing culture, marine industries, popularization of sailing and cultural activities, and include for the first time all the five national level contests, namely, China Motor-boating Open Tournament, China Paddle Boarding Club League, National Offshore Rowing (Beach Sprinting) Invitational Tournament, China Ocean Canoeing Open Tournament and China Powered Surfboard Open Tournament. Among them, the China Ocean Canoeing Open Tournament will be held for the first time. Among the newly added fashionable beach sports events, the World Beach Volleyball Professional Tour (Qingdao, China), co-sponsored by International Federation of Volleyball and Volleyball Administrative Center, General Administration of Sports of China, is included as an Olympic point race. The Asia Beach Sepak Takraw Tournament, a class-A event sponsored by the Asian Sepaktakraw Federation, is included as an event in the Asian Beach Games.

The ASAF Cup Qingdao International Regatta, Fareast Cup International Regatta, Mayor’s Cup International Regatta, Qingdao International OP Sailing Camp and Race, Qingdao International Teenager Sailing Race (ICLA4 class) will continue to be held in the meeting. Young OP sailing athletes from ASEAN countries will be invited to attend the first Qingdao-ASEAN OP Sailing Invitational Tournament.

According to preliminary statistics, nearly 2,000 athletes from about 31 countries and regions, and 22 Chinese provinces and municipalities will come to Qingdao to attend the imminent events

In the meeting, Qingdao will exchange experience with World Sailing, and international and intercontinental sailing organizations in Asia, Africa, Central America and Caribbean Region, and conduct communication with Olympic organizations and cities including the World Union of Olympic Cities, Kiel in Germany, Brest in France and Barcelona in Spain.  (Xu Nuo)

A sailing race being held in Qingdao. By Wang Lei