Malaysia will soon be introducing a plan to help develop the nation's sailing fraternity and raise its international potential on the professional yacht racing circuit.
This dynamic new initiative, spearheaded by Malaysia's Youth and Sports Minister Dato' Ahmad Shabery Cheek, is aimed at accelerating the progress of local athletes in the sailing arena and propelling them towards international sailing events. These prestigious global yacht racing events include the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), the Volvo Ocean Race and the America's Cup as "Special Events" in the sport as sanctioned by ISAF (International Sailing Federation).
The upcoming athletes enrolled on the programme will have access to the world's top racing events that will also provide the most intense test of a sailor's character. One of the tours, the WMRT, is seen as the world's toughest match racing series within in the ISAF calendar, culminating in December at the Monsoon Cup in Kuala Terengganu, where the ISAF Match Racing World Champion is crowned, after nine months of racing.
This new professional sailing programme for Malaysia is of particular importance for talented sailors looking to move into more professional and challenging yacht racing disciplines. Currently, the country supports a healthy following of sailors in the Optimist, Laser and 470 dinghy classes. Dinghy sailors are regular competitors with support of the Malaysian Yachting Association in the SEA Games, Asian Games and the Olympic Games.
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