ATHENS, GREECE-(19-8-2003) Sailing will take over tomorrow (Wednesday) and will close the series of August Sport Events.
The necessary preparations before the start were completed yesterday. After the counting of the crafts, test races were held and tomorrow the curtain rises on the official competition schedule for the “Athens 2003 Regatta”.
The facilities at the Agios Kosmas Olympic Sailing Centre have drawn highly complimentary words of praise from athletes, coaches, escorts and others involved in the Sport Event. Greece can take pride in the fact that she has one of the most modern and best organised Sailing Centres in the world. It will be the focus of attention from today until 28 August for the sailing community worldwide and of course for supporters of this sport.
The Athens 2003 Regatta is the second and decisive test for the sport of sailing. It follows last year’s Test Event, the Athens 2002 Regatta, which was crowned with success even though the venue was still in its initial stages of construction. This year ratings will be even higher, as there is a subject of comparison. Everyone at the venue (ATHENS 2004 staff, volunteers, competitors, and others) will be on home ground whether by land or by sea.
Four hundred competitors will be taking part in the Athens 2003 Regatta in 261 crafts from 43 countries. The competition has attracted the cream of the international sailing community. They are all eager to test out weather conditions, sea currents, and tricks of the wind in the field of play where they will compete next year for the Athens Olympic Games of 2004. Unlike last year, where there was no restriction on the number of craft, this year each country can only take part with one craft in each class and the competition as a result will be fierce and undecided.
The competitors who will take part on the Greek side are the Olympic Gold medalist Nikos Kaklamanakis (Windsurfer Mistral), Sofia Bekatorou and Emilia Tsoufla (470), Andreas Kosmatopoulos and Kostas Trigonis (470), Athina Frai (Mistral), Emilios Papathanasiou (Finn), Virginia Krabarioti (Europe), Antonis Manolakis (Laser), Dimitris Theodorakis and Antonis Bougiouris (Tornado), Leonidas Pelekanakis and Giorgos Kontogouris (Star), Thanassis Pachoumas and Vassilis Portosalte (49er) and Katerina Giakoumidou, Eftichia Mantzaraki, Eleni Dimitrakopoulou (Yngling).
The start of the races will be at 13:00 and there will be two races each day for the classes Mistral, 470, Finn, Laser, Star and Yngling (11 courses for each of the classes) and three races for the 49er class with a total of 16 races.
Entries by class:
Class Craft
Competitors
Men's Mistral 27 27
Women's Mistral 22 22
Finn 24 24
Europe 27 27
Laser 35 70
Men's 470 30 60
Women's 470 23 46
49er 22 44
Tornado 20 40
Star 18 36
Yngling 13 39
TOTAL 261 400
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