ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao - Opening Ceremony

ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao opening ceremony © Daniel Smith

Sailors and officials were welcomed to the 2015 edition of ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao at the opening ceremony on Tuesday 15 September.

More than 300 sailors from 32 nations have completed registration and are ready to race out of the venue of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition.

ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao is the fifth regatta of the 2015 series and is the final qualification regatta in the build up to the 2015 Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final. Whoever wins in each fleet will book their spot on the Abu Dhabi start line and the competition is set to be fierce over four days of fleet racing and Sunday's Medal Race.

Alongside Abu Dhabi qualification spots, sailors will be gunning for a share of the 150,000 Euro prize fund as well as an ISAF Sailing World Cup medal. For Asian sailors in the Men's and Women's 470, Finn and Nacra 17, Qingdao holds extra significance as it is the qualifier for Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition. Across the four fleets, sailors from China, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand will all be aiming to book a Rio 2016 spot.

Ahead of racing, sailors had a few final moments of relaxation at the opening ceremony and were treated to a cultural dance, traditional song from a local children's choir as well as local cuisine.

During the opening ceremony ISAF Technical Delegate, Antonio González de la Madrid said, "On behalf of ISAF I would like to thank the city of Qingdao for the incredible welcome that you have shown all the sailors and officials who have come here.

"It is the third time Qingdao has hosted an ISAF Sailing World Cup regatta and it is very important for ISAF to continue our strong relationship with the Chinese Yachting Association and the Qingdao Municipal Government.

"The organizing committee have done an outstanding job in preparation for ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao and we have more than 230 sailors from 32 nations in attendance, highlighting the strength of the event as it continues to grow.

"This week, the sailors will be aiming to qualify for the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, claim a share of the prize fund as well as sealing an ISAF Sailing World Cup medal.

"Alongside this, ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao is an important step on the road to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Asian sailors in the Men's and Women's 470, Finn and Nacra 17 will be aiming to qualify their nation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

"The Olympic Games can leave an amazing legacy within each host nation and it's excellent to see the legacy of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games lives strong here, in Qingdao, China's Sailing City."

With the forecast set to be fair for the opening day of racing on Wednesday 16 September sailors will take to the water from 10:30 onwards in preparation for a 12:00 local time start.

The racing will be available to watch in 2D and 3D via the live tracking. Live tracking will be available when racing commences via - www.sailing.org/worldcup/multimedia/tracking.php

The Competition Status Screen feeds in straight from the Race Committee boats with the teams inputting data such as race times, course type, the status of each race and the plan moving forward. The competition status screen will be available when racing commences via - www.sailing.org/worldcup/multimedia/tracking.php