Hussain Sagar Lake will once again come to life with the commencement of the Hyderabad Sailing Week on Wednesday. Being organised by EME Sailing Association, the 27th edition will conclude on July 29. Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh Sports Journalists Association (APSJA) organised a seminar on sailing here today . Speaking on the occasion, Lt Col S S Siwatch, Secretary, Laser Class Association of India (LCAI), observed that the Hyderabad Sailing Week is an Indian replica of the world’s most popular yachting event’. The Laser is the most popular class of boat in the world and the favourite in India, with registrations on the rise each year for the Inland Nationals, held here each year. Incidentally, the youngest and the oldest sailor for this year’s competition are both from Hyderabad, he said. So was another Hyderabadi, Major A.A. Basith, one of the two Indians to first compete in the Olympics, at Munich, 1972, he added. Also addressing the gathering was Lt. Col. Ranjith Singh Dhillon, the youngest sailor to become a National Judge, as early as 1998. A former Secretary of the LCAI himself, Col. Dhillon said uniform equipment and fair competition worldwide, saw entries go up to 150 even in the World Championship Great Grand Master Class for sailors over 65 years. Only 39 sailors from across the globe qualify for the Olympics, making it a fiercely competitive challenge, he said. While explaining the sport’s salient points, he demonstrated the five prohibited actions of the class, including pumping, rolling, ooching, sculling and repeated tackles. P R Mohan, former Chairman of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh, welcomed the initiative to popularise sailing. UNI
