The seven-man Sailing Team comprises promising young sailors and is the youngest team to date to enter the gruelling Sail Arabia Tour. The Tour sets off from Bahrain’s capital Manama on February 10, 2013 and finishes at Muscat, Oman on February 20, after stopping at Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Dibba and Mussanah on the way.
Competing as Team Messe Frankfurt, the youth sailing outfit which comprises of a selection of young sailing artists from Olympic Development Squads, Keelboat Associations and youth yachting champions, will pit their skills against the cream of talent from the GCC countries and abroad, all racing in identical Farr 30 keelboats.
“Messe Frankfurt’s support for the team of talented young hopefuls is designed to promote the development of youth sailing,” Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Epoc Messe Frankfurt, said. “It also supports the spirit of adventure and the taking on of new challenges, as the youngsters will do when they head into the ‘uncharted‘waters of the Tour.”
“Team Messe Frankfurt’s entry into Sailing Arabia – The Tour is a strong vindication of our belief that the future of sailing in the Gulf has to be developed through mentoring and youth training. We hope that young people of all backgrounds from the region will be inspired to come and learn the skills and teamwork they need for serious competition with Oman Sail’s training programmes, “David Graham, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Sail, said.
“We decided to take our first foray into sailing sponsorship as another avenue for connecting with an audience relevant to our exhibitions industry. We feel that it presents us an opportunity to communicate our core brand values while at the same time supporting what we believe to be a worthy venture,” Nathan Lloyd, Group Marketing Director, Epoc Messe Frankfurt, said.
First established in 2011 by Oman Sail, the Sailing Arabia Tour was designed to promote one of the region’s fastest growing sports and revive interest in the rich maritime heritage of the Arabian Gulf countries.