Hong Kong will help Qatar run the windsurfing event at the Asian Games later this year.
A team of five officials, headed by Stephen Lam, senior sports executive of the Windsurfing Association of Hong Kong (WAHK), is currently assisting with on-water race management in Doha for the Asian Sailing Championships, a test event for the December's Asiad. 'They are helping the organisers with all the technical stuff, including setting the course and working as race officials. The organisers have already asked us to go there again in December for the Asian Games,' said Dennis Chau Wai-keung, executive director of the WAHK.
'As far as I know, there are four courses for the Asian Championships. They therefore need four teams of experienced officials to run the events at the same time, which I do not think Doha can do on their own.'
According to Chau, Hong Kong is experienced in helping other countries organise regional-level events and that's why Doha had requested the WAHK's assistance.
A total of 13 events in eight classes are being contested in Doha at the Asian Championships, of which windsurfing comprises three events - men's mistral heavyweight and lightweight, and women's mistral. Chau also hoped that there would be a change to the race programme for the Asian Games.
'We have found it a bit strange that there is no RS:X event at the Asian Games. The International Sailing Federation has already announced that mistral will be replaced by RS:X at the Beijing Olympic Games. RS:X should then be added here as we all need to train our sailors leading up to the 2008 Games,' he said.
