Baku's bay to host sailing world championship
By Nigar Orujova
Pearl of the Caspian Sea, Baku, will host one of the spectacular tournaments - 470 Class Sailing World Championship in 2016.
The General Assembly of the International Sailing Association in the Olympic class "470" in Athens decided with a majority of votes to hold the championship in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan's Sailing Federation said.
Representative of the federation made a presentation as part of the Assembly and together with the participants of the Assembly noted that holding the championship in 2016 in Baku is the right choice.
Baku has all required conditions for holding such an event, including favorable weather. Azerbaijan is now turned into the host for many international sport events of the highest rank. Moreover, the interest in the sport has grown recently in the country.
The sailing sport has been included in the Olympic program since 1976. The 470 is an Olympic Class Dinghy recognised by ISAF. Sailed by both men and women, it was designed by Andre Cornu as a modern fibreglass planing dinghy in 1963.
The name of the sport is after the overall length of the boat in centimeters. The boat can be sailed competitively in a wind range of wind and sea conditions.
It is a popular class of dinghy, offering a good introduction to high- performance boats without being excessively difficult to handle. However, it is not a boat designed for beginners. Most sailors get substantial experience in a more stable and less demanding dinghy before beginning the 470.
Used as Olympic equipment since 1976, where the class was sailed as an open event before the introduction of separate events for men and women in 1988, the 470 is sailed in more than 61 nations around the world.