2024 EUROSAF Race Officials Exchange Programme Meeting: 27 represented countries and 121 entered events
January 17, 2024Olympic kite season opens in EUROSAF Sailing Academy
March 19, 2024President’s 33rd Letter – 26/01/2024
Dear friends,
We start 2024 with two wars raging among our members’ countries. It is disparaging to see that guns, aggression, destruction, and death are preferred to discussion, compromise, and agreement to solve problems.
2024 Race Officials Exchange Programme meeting
The ROEP meeting took place on 13 January in Limassol (Cyprus). Thanks to the efficient organization by the Cyprus Sailing Federation, delegates representing 27 EUROSAF Members attended the meeting and allocated places for race officials at sailing events on the Continent for 2024. Nino Shmueli (ISR) and Anastasia Weinberger (AUT) led the three rounds of allocations.
121 events in 24 member countries were brought to the meeting table, including national and Continental championships and some major European sailing events. More than 230 spots were offered; at the end of the meeting 158 were allocated and some more have been allocated after the meeting.
After the Race Officials exchange itself, delegates were presented the Winds of Change project from Sophia Papamichalopoulos (CYP) that aims to build peace between divided communities in Cyprus. Led by president Josep M Pla, they further discussed possible extensions to the programme. Possibilities explored were offering training opportunities to ROs and expanding geographically; including non-European Mediterranean MNAs is a natural option that would help them in growing the number and quality of their ROs; Asian Sailing Federation (ASAF) has shown a strong interest and both including their members in the programme and helping it set up a similar programme were non-exclusionary options discussed. Delegates approved continuing conversations with both North African MNAs and ASAF to devise meaningful collaborations that will benefit them and also European ROs. The meeting finished with a discussion about general awareness of the programme in the MNAs and urgent adaptions, led by vice-president Timo Hass.
The evening peaked with a wonderful dinner at the invitation of the Cyprus Sailing Federation in central Limassol.
EUROSAF thanks the Cyprus Sailing Federation, president Yiannos Photiou and his team—with Elena and Magda at the forefront—, Anastasia and Nino, and all participants for this successful meeting.
The next ROEP meeting will take place on 11 January 2025, place to be announced. Contact our secretary general to submit a formal proposal for 2025, and also 2026.
Executive Board meeting
During the ROEP meeting in Limassol, the Executive Board members took the opportunity to meet. Their work will be duly reported at the incoming OGA.
2024 Ordinary General Assembly
The meeting will take place on 13 April 2024 in Balatonfüred (Hungary) thanks to the invitation from the Hungarian Sailing Federation. Initial information, with hotel options, has been sent to the official addresses of all EUROSAF Members; notice of meeting and preliminary agenda, including the registration form, will follow in February. The meeting’s programme will be completed with presentations and networking opportunities.
EUROSAF Sailing Academy
After the successful EUROSAF Inclusive European Championship organized last September, the Academy started its winter training activities by hosting the GBR 49erFX promise team that works towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Under RYA’s Crew4Gold programme, the athletes will attend training sessions in Murcia until end February. By end of March, the 2024 Formula Kite European Championship will take place on site, the last official continental event before its start as an Olympic class at the Olympic Games in Marseille. The training facilities in Murcia will then be used by a 30-strong Polish team of windsurfers that will come to prepare for summer competitions.
If your sailors need a place to train year-round, and especially in wonderful winter and spring conditions, check the EUROSAF Sailing Academy in Murcia!
2024 EUROSAF Events
The current status of EUROSAF Events in 2024 is the following:
- EUROSAF Match Racing, Open European Championship: Ravenna, Italy, from 5 to 9 June (tbc.).
- EUROSAF Match Racing, Women’s European Championship: Ravenna, Italy, from 5 to 9 June (tbc.).
- EUROSAF Inclusive European Championship: Punta Ala, Italy, tbd.
- EUROSAF Mixed Offshore European Championship: conversations are held to host it in the Adriatic by end September or early October.
- EUROSAF Match Racing, Youth European Championship: open for bids; contact the secretary general to host it!
2025 EUROSAF Events
You and your clubs can bid for the following 2025 EUROSAF Events:
- EUROSAF Match Racing, Open European Championship.
- EUROSAF Match Racing, Women’s European Championship.
- EUROSAF Match Racing, Youth European Championship.
- EUROSAF Mixed Offshore European Championship.
- EUROSAF Inclusive European Championship (multiclass).
Contact the secretary general to host any of them and forward this information to clubs and organizers within your Federation to help them come forward and host a EUROSAF Event.
Secretariat
The Austrian Ministry of Sport has endorsed the funding report for 2022 and the report for 2023, in support of the funding received towards the working of the secretariat in Neusiedl am See, has been submitted. Thanks again to the Austrian Sailing Federation for their continued support in reaching the funding agreement with the Ministry and in fulfilling all technical requirements.
Sadly, at the start of 2024 peace in Europe seems still far away. Let us work collectively for it to resume and for sailing to be a means for peace. I look forward to meeting you in Balatonfüred in April.
Best regards,
Josep M. PLA
President
EUROSAF