02.12.2008
Doha, 28 May 2008 – Qatar’s 16 year old sailor Waleed Al-Sharshani is just a few competitions away from his dream of competing in the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
“It would be my dream to compete in the Olympic Games in China this August. I have been training for over five years and I would be honoured to represent my country at the XXIX Olympiad. It is a great motivator to know that one day I could compete in my home country should the Games come to Doha in 2016,” said Al-Sharshani.
As a student for the past three years at Doha’s ASPIRE Academy for excellence in Doha, Al-Sharshani has been a budding young talent for the Academy after breaking onto the international sailing scene with his Silver medal at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. In doing so, he became the first Qatari to win a medal in sailing at the Asian Games. He is another example of how Qatar’s sports development programmes are encouraging the youth of the country to participate in sport at the highest level.
Doha 2016 Bid Chairman, Mr. Hassan Ali Bin Ali said: “Waleed is a product of the thriving sports development programmes we have on a local level in Doha. Between his physical and strategic training at ASPIRE Academy for Excellence and taking advantage of our facilities on the Corniche in Doha, he is in a great position to qualify for this year’s Olympiad in Beijing”.
Al-Sharshani already has an impressive résumé in international competition. He won a Bronze medal at the 2007 Europa Cup Championships, finished 25th out of 118 participants at the ISAF World Championships 2007 in South Africa, placed first at the 2008 Doha International Regatta and he is the reigning 2006-07 GCC 4.7 Laser Standard champion.
Waleed will be participating in two international regattas leading up to the Olympic Games – the ISAF Delta-Lloyd Regatta in Medenblick, Holland and at the ISAF Al-Barah International Regatta in Bahrain.
Al-Sharshani said: “I am very pleased with my performance at all of the international competitions that I have participated in over the past year. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the ASPIRE Academy for Excellence. Its strong support has contributed significantly to the success I have achieved in my sport. I am looking forward to competing in the Regattas in Holland and Bahrain to secure a position to compete in the Olympic Games this summer”.
Sailing was not always Waleed’s first sport of choice. When he was younger he had a passion for football. However, both his father and his brother are keen sailors and after his father began training him on the Corniche in Doha it gave Waleed the confidence he needed to pursue a career in sailing. Waleed’s father and brother actively participate in his training, giving him personal feedback on his technique and discussing strategy leading up to competitions.
Waleed is at the forefront of the sailing world in Qatar and has become a pioneer in popularising the sport on a national level. Doha has an active Sailing Federation and currently hosts the Doha International Regatta on an annual basis. Building upon his previous success, he is poised to excel in the sport in international competition and potentially at the Summer Olympic Games this year.
The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) will decide the final participants in the Summer Olympic Games at the end of June 2008.