With the Optimist Asian and Oceanian Championship on in full swing in Musannah, Oman’s credentials as an international sailing venue received a huge boost from one of the top officials of the International Olympic Dinghy Association (IODA).
“This is top, world class. I know events when I see them and this venue is spectacular. I have been in this business for a very long time and this is one of the best. It’s because of the location, water, sailing conditions, accommodation and everything put together. I know the kids are going to go away with a very positive experience of being here. And from the organisational point of view, you (Oman) have a lot of experience having done a lot of events over the years. Everyone here is organised and understand what their roles are. It’s been an absolute pleasure to be here at this event. This is going to be a great event,’’ Fiona Kidd, Secretary General, IODA, told Oman Daily Observer in an exclusive interview.
Kidd also dwelt upon the event coming to Oman and the Sultanate’s efforts as a host nation.
“I think the event coming to Oman is fantastic. Its great for the region. We always knew, coming here, we would be in good hands. You (Oman) have good skills and knowledge so putting on an event here is something we always wanted to do. So we are delighted that Oman put itself through a bidding process and came through to be here. The bid was put two years ago. A number of them were there I believe. And the members at the AGM vote for them based on location, cost etc.”
Talking about the opening ceremony and the event thus far, Kidd was impressed with the way everything has gone about.
“The event so far has been fantastic. The Arabian Night theme was really cool. Everyone felt really relaxed. For many of them it was very, very new. It was very well done and short and sweet. The kids enjoyed it immensely. It was a great evening,’’ she added.
Oman’s organisational success with regard to the event could be gauged from the fact that there is a lot of positive feedback coming through.
“So far everyone has been saying absolutely positive things. People are saying its been fantastic. Everyone is accommodating when it comes to our demands and we always prefer that the accommodation is close to the action. I think it is an ideal venue because of that. We have a model of events that is unlike other classes of sailing. Most sailing classes you come, register and stay wherever you want to stay. But for us it is mandatory that you are staying as a team in one place. It’s like a mini-Olympic set-up so everyone gets a feeling of staying in a village,’’ the Canadian added.
One of the noticeable aspects of the event has been the presence of about 70 Omani officials and Kidd was appreciative of that.
“Most of the people here are Omanis and that is very, very important. We bring in a crew of people that we think can ensure that the quality is at a certain level. We have a Principal Race Officer who comes in. Apart from that, it’s your crew that is out there in the waters and not ours. We bring in our VP, who is a representative of our class and then we bring in a secretary. I think most of the people here are Omanis and that is the way to go. Build your base, build your depth of expertise, get as many people trained as possible and you will be and in fact are a great destination,’’ she explained.
Kidd was all praise for the emerging young Omani talent in the waters and hailed their exploits. “I am very impressed with the young Omani sailors coming through. Oman made the gold fleet of the world championships in Antigua recently. A lot of the teams did not even make the bronze. So to have your sailors in the gold fleet at the world championships is a huge accomplishment. I come from Canada and we have never been in the gold fleet. I am totally impressed with their manoeuvres with the boats,’’ Kidd stated.
“These four little girls (Oman team) are phenomenal and having a lot of fun. And with girls you have to nurture them. Girls leave sailing because of a variety of reasons and we are going to have an agreement with ISAF on getting more girls into sailing. Its a huge initiative to have women teachers at the sailing school here. You do a lot of education and hand holding. They can handle the conditions,’’ she added.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
