KARACHI: With an eye to win medals at the next year’s Asian Sailing Championship and the Asian Games, the Pakistan Youth Sailing Association (PYSA)in collaboration with the PAF Yacht Club, has chalked out an elaborate training programme which is set to begin at the PAF Korangi Creek from Sept seven.

To be attended by some 25 young boys and girls’ sailors, the camp will be set-up in Optimist boys and girls and Laser 4.7 boys and girls classes.

The Asian Sailing championship is slated to take place at Jakarta in May next and will be followed by the Asian Games in the same city in Oct.

“This is just a beginning and the number of trainees having potential will rise,” chief course conductor retired Captain A.R. Arshad told Dawn on Monday.

Arshad, who has served as technical adviser to Qatar Olympic Committee for sailing for a decade, said plans are afoot to invite a reputed coach from Thailand who has produced a couple of world class sailors.

“Inviting the Thai coach will be much cheaper as compared to bringing a coach from other top sailing countries of the world,” he remarked.

He said the young sailors will be further groomed by arranging reciprocal series with Sri Lanka, China and other countries ahead of the two major competitions.

He added that it was a good omen that many girls have turned up and identified Sakina and Hana Fatima good in 15 to 17 years age group in Laser 4.7 class.

According to him, Optimist class has be allowed to sail in Asian Championship whereas Laser 4.7 and RS One have been included in both the Jakarta events.

He said the sailors have been divided into two groups and will un dergo rigourous training four days a week.

The Asian Sailing Federation has approved following classes for the Asian Games:

470 men and women, Laser Standard men, Laser Radial women, 49er men, 49er Fx women, RS:X men and women, RS One mixed and Laser 4.7 Open.

Camp trainees: Hana Fatima,Haziq Naseer,Shayan Nicholas, Rayyan Altaf, Uzair Ahmed, Taha Ahmed, Yahya Ahmed, Mehnaz Jamil, Hassam Nizami,Hamza Nizami, Rayyan Waqas, M Esmaeel, M Ahmed, M Abdullah, M Shavaiz, Maria Kalsoom, Nauman Waqas, Raed Kharal, M Yousaf, Mir Saqib, Shahzain Danish, Raaef Jamil.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2017