Sports
Olympic Qualifying Event Comes To Clearwater
Sailors in the championship races will converge on the area Feb. 8-14.
CLEARWATER, FL — Tampa Bay area residents who want to witness Olympic sailing qualifying in action might want to head to Clearwater Beach Feb. 7-14.
That’s when the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra17 Olympic qualifying world championships will take place.
“Some of the world’s best athletes will be competing in the fastest two-person boats to be used at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, showcasing high-performance sailing at its best,” the city announced.
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Sailing events are set to begin every day at noon. The exception is during the Feb. 14 medal races, which are set to begin at 10 a.m.
“This will be the first, and one of the largest Olympic-class sailing world championships held in the United States since 2010,” city officials said. “There will be three competing classes, and more than 400 sailors are expected to compete for world titles.”
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Which sailors get to go on to the 2016 Olympic Games and which ones will go home will be determined during the Clearwater event.
Competing boats will be launched from the Clearwater Community Sailing Center and North Beach.
To find out more, visit saillife.com.
The 2016 Olympic Games kick off in Rio on Aug. 5.
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