The Egyptian Sailing & Waterski Federation(ESWF) recently organized the Arab Sailing Championship in El Montazah Alexandria from the 21st to the 26th of October. Eight countries competed including Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Oman, Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, and Egypt. The competition saw everyone competing for the championship title under extreme weather conditions in five different sailing classes: Laser Radial, Laser Standard, Laser 4.7, RSX, and Optimist.

The opening and closing ceremonies were held in Montazah Water Sports Club and were attended by president of the Arab Sailing Federation His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Abdallah, secretary general of the Arab Federation Said Zada, and other government delegates and dignitaries. The ceremonies were held under the patronage of Minister of Sports Dr. Ashraf Sobhi and supported by the Ministry of Tourism represented in the host of the Montazah Company for Tourism & Investment General Bahaa Tahoun.

Races took place over two days instead of three due to extreme weather conditions on the third day. Oman won first place in the men’s Optimist, Laser Radial, and Laser 4.7 classes. Egypt won the women’s Optimist class and women’s Laser Radial. Bahrain won the Laser Standard class and Algeria won first place in the Windsurfing RS:x class.

His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Abdallah awarded ESWF president Amr Abou El Saoud a token of gratitude for the exceptional organization of the event by the organization team and for the hospitality of the Montazah Water Sports Club.

The location of Montazah and its waterfront is no stranger to the international sailing community, originating back with the Egyptian monarchy. It is a favored tourist spot due to its sizable gardens and palaces left by its royal heritage. Montazah was constructed during the reign of the Khedive Abbas II. The royal family had a habit of summering at the palace, holding historical sailing events. Recent sailing events include the 2001, 2006, and 2017 African Optimist Championships.

The ESWF continues to honor the legacy of Montazah by hosting sailing events, previously hosting the International Dragon Paul Elvestrøm Triple Race and the African Optimist Championship in June 2017. According to the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA), the international governing body for Optimist class boats which is the birth class of all sailors, after the success of the African Sailing Championship and Arab Sailing Championship, the ESWF will be working on a bid to host the World Championships in Montazah in the coming period.

Amr Abou El Saoud, former international sailing champion and ESWF chairman, has stated that the ESWF will have a main directive of hosting international sailing and wakeboarding events, putting Egypt on the international map where it belongs.