HALIFAX– Halifax has been awarded another World Championship! This time it’s for the sport of sailing.
Halifax has won the bid to host the 2009 Nautel Laser Worlds and Laser Master Worlds Championships. St. Margaret Sailing Club will be the venue with athletes competing on the waters of St. Margaret’s Bay.
The championships will take place from August 17th to September 5th, 2009 and are divided into two separate events. The Laser Worlds is a closed event which attracts the top athletes in the world, who must qualify to represent their country through regional and continental championships. It is expected about 135 athletes, representing 60 countries will qualify. The second event is the Laser Masters Worlds which is open to athletes 35 years of age and older and is expected to attract upwards to 350 competitors.
The Laser is one of the most popular small sailboats (four metres long) in the world with an estimated 193,000 owners. It satisfies the desire for excellence and a physical test at the highest levels and is the single-handed boat for the Olympic Games, yet it offers a huge amount of fun and family pleasure to all ages in a non-competitive environment.
In making the announcement today at the St. Margaret Sailing Club, Canadian Yachting Association president Gerry Giffin said the World championships will be good for the sport of sailing in the province.
“This is an opportunity to attract more people to the sport, to provide incentive to our young athletes already competing in the sport, and to leave a legacy for the province and the region,” he said.
That legacy could include an elite and high-performance sail training centre at the St. Margaret Sailing Club to be used by top provincial and national athletes for years to come.
“The waters of St. Margaret’s Bay offer what are considered some of the best water and wind for the sport in North America,” said Giffin. ”The Laser Worlds will provide a showcase for the natural assets this province has to offer the sport for future international competitions, national high performance training, as well as anyone interested in the sport.”
The Laser Worlds are one of the largest and most important dinghy regattas in the sport of sailing. The last time it was held in Canada was 28 years ago.
“This is exciting news for the St. Margaret's Bay community and the province as a whole,” said Judy Streatch, MLA for Chester – St. Margaret’s. “These world championships will include athletes from their teens to their seventies - truly showing that sport is for life and confirms our government's commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles."
Streatch presented the organizing committee with a cheque from Health Promotion and Protection for $240,000 to help prepare the venue for the World championships.
The 2009 Laser Worlds organizing committee is co-chaired by Rod Millar from the St. Margaret Sailing Club and Barbara Pike from the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.
“This is the largest sailing event ever held in eastern Canada,” said Pike. “This is not just a two or three day event. This is hundreds of athletes competing on St. Margaret’s Bay for almost three weeks.”
“With this large an event, we will need hundreds and hundreds of volunteers,” added Millar. “We expect many will come from the sailing community, but for many more the Worlds will be their first exposure to the sport.”
“We are also extremely thankful to the municipal and provincial governments for the financial support they have provided to date, and specific thanks to Events Halifax for all the help they provided in preparing this successful bid,” said Millar.
Check out the website at www.2009laserworlds.org
-30-
Event Website
Halifax has won the bid to host the 2009 Nautel Laser Worlds and Laser Master Worlds Championships. St. Margaret Sailing Club will be the venue with athletes competing on the waters of St. Margaret’s Bay.
The championships will take place from August 17th to September 5th, 2009 and are divided into two separate events. The Laser Worlds is a closed event which attracts the top athletes in the world, who must qualify to represent their country through regional and continental championships. It is expected about 135 athletes, representing 60 countries will qualify. The second event is the Laser Masters Worlds which is open to athletes 35 years of age and older and is expected to attract upwards to 350 competitors.
The Laser is one of the most popular small sailboats (four metres long) in the world with an estimated 193,000 owners. It satisfies the desire for excellence and a physical test at the highest levels and is the single-handed boat for the Olympic Games, yet it offers a huge amount of fun and family pleasure to all ages in a non-competitive environment.
In making the announcement today at the St. Margaret Sailing Club, Canadian Yachting Association president Gerry Giffin said the World championships will be good for the sport of sailing in the province.
“This is an opportunity to attract more people to the sport, to provide incentive to our young athletes already competing in the sport, and to leave a legacy for the province and the region,” he said.
That legacy could include an elite and high-performance sail training centre at the St. Margaret Sailing Club to be used by top provincial and national athletes for years to come.
“The waters of St. Margaret’s Bay offer what are considered some of the best water and wind for the sport in North America,” said Giffin. ”The Laser Worlds will provide a showcase for the natural assets this province has to offer the sport for future international competitions, national high performance training, as well as anyone interested in the sport.”
The Laser Worlds are one of the largest and most important dinghy regattas in the sport of sailing. The last time it was held in Canada was 28 years ago.
“This is exciting news for the St. Margaret's Bay community and the province as a whole,” said Judy Streatch, MLA for Chester – St. Margaret’s. “These world championships will include athletes from their teens to their seventies - truly showing that sport is for life and confirms our government's commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles."
Streatch presented the organizing committee with a cheque from Health Promotion and Protection for $240,000 to help prepare the venue for the World championships.
The 2009 Laser Worlds organizing committee is co-chaired by Rod Millar from the St. Margaret Sailing Club and Barbara Pike from the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.
“This is the largest sailing event ever held in eastern Canada,” said Pike. “This is not just a two or three day event. This is hundreds of athletes competing on St. Margaret’s Bay for almost three weeks.”
“With this large an event, we will need hundreds and hundreds of volunteers,” added Millar. “We expect many will come from the sailing community, but for many more the Worlds will be their first exposure to the sport.”
“We are also extremely thankful to the municipal and provincial governments for the financial support they have provided to date, and specific thanks to Events Halifax for all the help they provided in preparing this successful bid,” said Millar.
Check out the website at www.2009laserworlds.org
-30-
Event Website