The coastal city of Alexandria celebrated water sports as part of the 2017 Optimist African Championship for juniors under 15 years on 29 June until 6 July. Athletes from Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Mozambique, Tunisia, Tanzania, Seychelles and South Africa competed in the championship. Angola’s athletes showed great performance; Angolans Graciano Novaes and Osvaldo da Gama won the first and second places, respectively. Third place went for Egypt’s Mahmoud El Tanboly, while UAE’s Mohammad Saeed El Mousaari ranked fourth. Angola’s team leader Rui Albuqerque explained that “water sports in Angola [are] impacted by the financial crisis.” He added that organising championships for water sports contribute in raising awareness about it. Despite not being an African country, athletes from the United Arab Emirates’ national team took part in this prestigious event. Al Hady Abdel Malek Al Zenady, coach of the UAE’s team, celebrated his country’s participation in the championship. “Participating in the African Championship was a great opportunity for the UAE’s team to prepare for the 2017 World Optimist Championship which started on July 11, 2017 and will end on July 21, 2017 in Thailand.” Giving a brief background about the African optimist…
Alexandria Hosts Sailing Competitions as Part of the 2017 African Optimist Championship
July 13, 2017
