Finland wants to apply for 2011 Yachting World Championships
Successful bid would require building of new sailing centre in Helsinki
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Finland is aiming to apply for organising the Olympic-class Yachting World Championships of 2011 in Helsinki.
The Finnish Yachting Association plans to file an application with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) in September. The matter will be determined at an ISAF meeting in November.
According to the Finnish Yachting Association chairman Kurt Lönnqvist, the event would require a new yachting centre to be erected in Helsinki. The planned location of the structure would be the tip of the island of Hernesaari.
In Lönnqvist’s view, Hernesaari would be an ideal site, as by that time that the cargo vessel traffic will have moved to the custom-built port now in progress in Vuosaari. The ferry traffic to Estonia also comes in and out from behind the island of Pihlajasaari, which means the organisers would have free hands to design the race routes.
The competition arena would be literally in the heart of the city, and the spectators could follow the event from the waterfront.
The planned sailing centre has the Finnish Olympic Committee’s blessing. "The centre would also make it possible for Helsinki to arrange international large-scale sailing competitions annually", Lönnqvist adds.
The Sailing World Championships for all Olympic classes are organised every four years, and are anything but a small event. Around 1,500 athletes compete in various classes.
The World Championships are always organised the year before the Summer Olympics. This year the event takes place in Cascais, Portugal, where country places for the Beijing games are to be decided.
Other countries interested in organising the 2011 World Championships include at least Canada, Scotland, and South Korea.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 25.4.2007 - TODAY |
 Finland wants to apply for 2011 Yachting World Championships
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