OLYMPICS/ Preliminaries
Curtain falls on 2007 Qingdao regatta
By Zhang Xiaomin (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-25 11:47
QINGDAO: The curtain fell on the 2007 Qingdao International Sailing Regatta on Friday with the sailors taking to the stage of the closing ceremony.
The competitors on the water turned out to be good friends at the closing ceremony, which featured a combination of Chinese and international culture.
A big birthday cake was offered to Pawel Kuzmicki, a Polish 49er sailor, and volunteer Mu Hailiang. They celebrated their birthday with the gold medalists on the stage and 4,000 people in the stadium.
At the closing ceremony, Qingdao Mayor Xia Geng said that the event had been held strictly in line with Olympic standards and criteria.
"Qingdao is ready for the 2008 Olympics," said Xia.
ISAF Vice-President David Kellett offered his appreciations on Qingdao's successful organization of the test event.
"All the facilities worked extremely well, and with the athlete's village opening next year it will be a huge improvement," he said.
Kellett also offered his thanks to the sailors, national and international technical officers, local citizens, officials and volunteers.
"On behalf of ISAF, I thank you all for your efforts," he said.
Then, amid the song of best wishes from the volunteers' chorus, the last test event of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition reached its climax, seeing all people in the stadium dance and sing in celebration.
About 400 sailors from 49 countries and regions competed in this year's sailing regatta, with the medals shared by 19 countries, nearly 40 percent of the total.
The percentage showed the fairness and high quality of the competition, Kellett commented.
Some new practices, such as a victory course, were introduced by the organizing committee to this year's regatta, receiving a positive response from ISAF officials, sailors, and spectators.
"All the new changes will be followed in next August's Olympics," Zang Aimin, deputy mayor of Qingdao, told a press conference yesterday.
"Despite the high standard and challenging weather conditions, this year's regatta was successful. We've made great progress compared to the 2006 regatta," she said.
The Qingdao and ISAF officials all believe that with the extensive participation and concern of local people and enterprises, Qingdao can host a high-level Olympic sailing competition.
"Let's look forward to meeting in Beijing and sailing in Qingdao in August next year," said Mayor Xia.
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