Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/229731
22 Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2013 SAILING European Optimist Champion to participate in Malta event WILFRED SULTANA IT is definitely consolidating its status of a top international event when with only a few more days to go for the start of the 4-day event – 19th till the 22nd December – the 2013 Euromed Malta Championship keeps the excitement and spirit of surprise alive with never ending happenings. Fourteen year old Stijn Paardekooper of the Nederland who last June at Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy, was declared European Champion at the European Optimist Championship will be trying to add the Malta Award to his sailing achievements and record for the first time a Dutch Euromed winner. Stijn is a member of the WSV Braassermermeer sailing Club. The strong Russian contingent of 32 sailors will be travelling some 1755 miles to reach Malta for the Event. Up to a few days ago this was looked upon as the longest distance being covered by prospective Euromed competitors. Now the longest distance has become 3999 miles with the confirmation of 7 sailors, five males and two females, from India. Six of the sailors, the youngest of whom is 10-year old Navyn Prabhakar, come from the Tamil Nadu Sailing Association (TNSA), in Chennai, with the seventh one being a female member from the Corps of Engineers Sailing Club (CESC), of Pune. A name to note is Aniketh Rajaram, 12, who currently ranks 3rd in the national Optimist squad of India. His recent achievements include a Gold in the Optimist team racing in the Sail the Gulf Regatta 2012, and placed 25th in a fleet of 117 sailors at the Volvo Gill Optimist British National and Open Championship 2013. Aniketh, from the TNSA, also registered an 8th place finish out of 89 entries in the Irish Nationals 2013, being the only Indian in the event's top 10 among a predominanty British representation and the lone German winner. The Indian team will be accompanied by team's manager Ms. Kanthimathi Prabhakar, who is the Official Handicapper and Measurer of TNSA. India makes Euromed 2013 a ten nation Championship with the record entry taken further and now stands at 150 competitors - Belgium 1 sailor, Cyprus 6, India 7, Israel 8, Italy 26, Malta 50, Netherlands 1, Romania 2, Russia 32, and the United Kingdom 17. Participants are being split into five categories, namely, Optimist Cadet Class – 38 sailors, Optimist Open Class – 83, Optimist Novice Class – 9, Laser Radial Class – 6, and Laser 4.7 Class – 14. The Euromed 2013 competitive program will be made up of nine races in all....of course weather permitting; 2 races on Thursday 19th, 3 races on the 20th, 3 races on the 21st and 1 final race on Sunday 22nd. Races on all days start at ten except on the opening day of event when these start at eleven. All races are targeted to last between 55 and 75 minutes each. Thus depending on wind strength and sea Twelve-year-old Aniketh Rajaram from India, one of the many experienced foreign sailors eager to taste success in the Euromed Malta Championship 2013 conditions each race would be of about 2 to 3 nautical miles long. An exciting and spectacular start is envisaged with over 100 Optimist dinghies together on the starting line; an imaginary stripe measuring some 200 meters long. On the eve of another Euromed one finds that Maltese sailors have won five of the Event's thirteen editions, with Russians winning three titles, Swedish two and one victory each going to an Irish, a Turk, and an Italian sailor. Malta's Thomas Zammit Tabona is the only sailor to win the Euromed twice, in 2006 and 2007, while eleven-year-old Russian Nikita Ushkov (2009) was the youngest winner ever. Meanwhile, the winners of the past thirteen editions were: 2000 – Lisa Tait (13yrs) – Ireland; 2001 – Ton Thorn (13) – Sweden; 2002 – Matthew Fleri Soler (14) – Malta; 2003 – Vaalentino Valacchi (14) – Italy; 2004 – Henrik Grim (14) – Sweden; 2005 – Okan Arin (12) – Turkey; 2006 – Thomas Zammit Tabona (12) – Malta; 2007 - Thomas Zammit Tabona (12) – Malta; 2008 – Ella Fleri Soler (15) – Malta; 2009 - Nikita Ushkov (11) – Russia; 2010 – Pavel Rasskazov (13) – Russia; 2011 – Edward Fleri Soler (15) – Malta; 2012 – Artem Sudakov (12) – Russia. One of the main characteristics of this event held close to Christmas is the good number of foreign sailors' parents, family members and other sailing club members who take the opportunity to make a holiday out of their Malta trip. Seabank Resort+Spa in Mellieha is the official hotel of Euromed 2013 while Maxima Lido on the sandy beach of Mellieha Bay will house the race office and the launching area of the Championship. The Euromed Malta Championship, now in its 14th Edition, is organised by the Malta Young Sailors Club with the cooperation of the Kunsill Malti għall-iSport and the Mellieħa Local Council. The Mediterranean Bank is the main sponsor of Euromed 2013 which is held under the patronage of the Malta Sailing Federation. BOXING Klitschko puts politics before boxing Heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko is to step away from boxing to focus on politics after being appointed 'champion emeritus' by the World Boxing Council. THE move leaves the WBC heavyweight title vacant, and although Klitschko could decide to return to the ring to fight for it again in the future he says that is unlikely. The 42-year-old, who boasts a 45-2 record with 41 KOs, has been heavily involved in the ongoing political crisis in his home country, where proEuropean demonstrators have staged large-scale protests in Kiev against president Viktor Yanukovych's refusal to sign a deal for closer integration towards the European Union. Klitschko, the leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform and a member of the Ukrainian parliament, has emerged as a leader of the opposition movement and has confirmed he will make a run for the country's presidency. In a statement, Klitschko said: "I want to thank the WBC and its president Don Jose Sulaiman for the support in our fight for democracy and freedom in the Ukraine. It was and is a great honor to hold the WBC title and I've always done it with pride. The offer of the WBC gives me the theoretical possibility to return to the boxing ring which I cannot imagine at all to the current state. "Right now, my full concentration is on politics in Ukraine, and I feel that the people need me there. My brother Wladimir will ensure more sporting success and I will - as always - support him as much as he currently supports me in my political fight." Klitschko's younger brother Wladimir, 37, is the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO world heavyweight champion. In a statement, WBC executive secretary Mauricio Sulaiman, praised Klitschko's record and his move into politics. "The WBC is proud and honored to confirm the status of Vitali Klitschko as WBC Heavyweight World Champion Emeritus. Undoubtedly, Vitali Vitali Klitschko: Swapping boxing for politics has earned that distinction through his actions inside and outside the ring," the statement said. "Vitali Klitschko is fighting the fight of his life; this time outside the ring. Vitali is showing to the world what is the true heart of a champion by leading his countrymen to battle in the streets in their search of human equality, rights and peace for the great country of the Ukraine." Klitschko began his professional boxing career in 1996, and won his first heavyweight title in 1999 when he beat British boxer Herbie Hide with a second-round knockout. He defended it successfully twice before suffering a shock loss to Chris Byrd. Klitschko had been leading the fight until suffering a shoulder injury - later diagnosed as a torn rotator cuff - which forced him to throw in the towel. He challenged for the title in June 2003, taking on Lennox Lewis in Los Angeles, and although he lost a controversial fight in six rounds, he gained much respect and a year later - after Lewis retired to vacate the title - Klitschko regained it with victory over Corrie Sanders. After defending the crown in a fight against Danny Williams, Klitschko announced his retirement in November 2005 after a serious knee injury - again awarded the Champion Emeritus status - but he launched a comeback in January 2007 and won the heavyweight title for a third time the following August.