ABU DHABI: A nine-strong UAE team will share the stage with some of the world’s top young sailing talent when Abu Dhabi stages the 2023 Optimist Asian and Oceanian Championship next week.More than 170 competitors from 29 countries are taking part in the week-long international regatta, which is being hosted in the UAE capital for the first time. The event’s organizers and hosts include the Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club, the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation, the Asian Sailing Federation, and Abu Dhabi Sports Council, which held a press conference at its headquarters on Wednesday. Sponsored by Abu Dhabi Ports and Al Mariah Bank, the regatta will feature five days of competitive sailing getting under way on Tuesday, following registration on Sunday, and Monday’s official opening ceremony. The event is the continental championship for Asian and Oceanian nation members of the International Optimist Dinghy Association, which oversees the fundamental class for the 7-to-15-year age group, and is marking its 50th anniversary. Salem Al-Rumaithi, director-general of the Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club, told journalists that the regatta is expected to attract thousands of spectators to the Abu Dhabi Corniche, which provides an ideal viewing platform for the racing. He said the staging of the event in Abu Dhabi was the culmination of years of preparation and successful bidding, and supports the ADMSC’s commitment to holding sustainable watersports events. “We are now reaping the fruits of all the hard work that has been done,” he said. Also present at the press conference were Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamdan Al-Nahyan, president of the Emirates Modern Sailing and Rowing Federation, Saeed Al-Muhairi, director of technical affairs at the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and Ajay Narang, vice-president for Africa, Asia and Oceania at the IODA. The UAE team competing in the regatta consists of Saif Alzaabi, Omar Qandil, Abdulah Al-Zabidi, Abdelrahman Albahri, Khalifa Al-Romaithi, Mayed Al-Ali, Mediya Alneyadi, Kornelia Pajak and Simeon Hristov. In addition to the host country, the event has attracted teams from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bahrain, Britain, China, Cyprus, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Libya, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taipei, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkiye and the US.