Yeosu City Achieves Success in Hosting International Yacht Championship

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] From April 29, 2022, for 8 days, the first international yacht championship in Yeosu will be held at Soho Yacht Marina.

Yeosu City (Mayor Kwon Oh-bong) announced the day before that it has secured the '2022 Optimist Asia & Oceania Championship.'

The good news came through the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) general meeting held in Slovenia, where the Optimist European Championship is currently taking place.

According to the city, about 300 athletes from 29 countries in Asia and Oceania will participate in the 2022 competition, competing in the dinghy yacht category.

Dinghy yachts are designed to be operated by youth under 15 years old and can be considered an introductory category to yachting.

The event will feature individual and team competitions, as well as various side events for citizens and spectators.

Yeosu City submitted the hosting application to the International Optimist Dinghy Association last August and, after an online presentation on the 16th, engaged in a fierce bidding competition with Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

A city official said, "Since this is the first time Yeosu has secured an international yacht championship, we will do our best in preparation to prove our capability to successfully host an international event."

Meanwhile, Yeosu plans to bid for the Optimist World Championship in 2023 as part of the linked projects commemorating the 100th anniversary of Yeosu Port opening.