Olympic regatta host city Qingdao and many of China's coastal cities are quickly developing the sport of sailing thanks to the Beijing 2008 Games.

 

 

"Sailing has been springing up in China, and we have sailing clubs in many Chinese coastal cities like Dalian and Sanya," Li Quanhai, vice director of China's Water Sports governing body, said. "I think as the Olympic regatta is approaching, sailing will achieve a great and sustainable development."

 

Unlike European countries, sailing is not quite popular in China. Besides a lack of sailing knowledge, shortage of facilities is another reason the sport remains unpopular.

 

"We have only 15 provinces which are involved in the sport and registered sailors are fewer than 2,000. And even those coastal cities don't have professional docks. All this makes it hard for us to make the sport popular," Li said.

 

"One of the post-Olympic effects, I think, is that not only sailing but also yachting will have tremendous development, not only in Qingdao, but in the other coastal cities," said Xia Geng, mayor of Qingdao.

 

"Thanks to some sponsors, we can provide sailing equipment for young people. So far, there are more and more young people in Qingdao, who attend sailing summer camps and learn more about the sport," Xia added.

 

Lin Zhiwei, vice president of Qingdao Sports Federation, noted: "We have launched the plan that develops sailing in schools of Qingdao, and we aim to make over 80 percent of Qingdao students knowledgeable about Olympic regatta and sailing, and to have 10 percent of Qingdao students involved in sailing."

 

 

(China Daily May 22, 2007)