Muscat: Oman Sail has been chosen to host the 2025 IODA Optimist Asian and Oceanian Championship, to be organised in collaboration with the Oman Marine Sports Committee and International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA). The event is scheduled to take place from 25 October to 1 November 2025 at Oman Sail’s Mussanah Sailing School and will welcome sailors from across Asia and Oceania to Oman for a week of high-level competitive sailing.
According to Oman News Agency, the Mussanah Sailing School was designated a Category A High Performance Centre by the Asian Sailing Federation (ASAF) earlier this year, signifying the facility’s capability to host international regattas, training and development clinics, and local, regional and national sailing events.
The venue has built a long history of hosting sailing events, including the 2021 Youth Sailing World Championship, the 2021 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 World Championships, and 13 editions of the annual Mussanah Race Week, amongst others.
This will also be the second time Mussanah has hosted the IODA Optimist Asian and Oceanian Championship following the successful staging of the event in 2019 where 141 sailors from 21 nations participated.
Dr. Khamis Salim Al Jabri, Oman Sail CEO, expressed that it is an honor for Oman Sail to host the 2025 IODA Asian and Oceanian Championships for the second time. He emphasized Mussanah Sailing School’s role as a regional hub for sailing and its recognition as a Category A High Performance Centre by the Asian Sailing Federation.
He also remarked on the anticipation of welcoming the best Optimist sailors from both regions to Oman, offering a venue to foster connections and advance their sailing careers.
Oman Sail’s Optimist team recently participated in the 2024 edition of the IODA Optimist Asian and Oceanian Championship in Hong Kong, China, where all five sailors achieved top half finishes in their fleets.