Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/912715
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 6 DECEMBER 2017 Sport 21 SAILING BOXING Looking for wind and glory WILFRED SULTANA A few weeks ago the Royal Malta Yacht Club hosted the 38th edi- tion of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, where a fleet of 102 yachts from 30 countries gave Malta prestigious exposure in the in- ternational yachting circles. In a few days' time, precisely from the 17th to the 20th De- cember, Malta will again be in the limelight of the world of sailing when the Malta Young Sailors Club organises the 18th Edition of the Mapfre Mid- dlesea Euromed Regatta, indeed a yearly established Internation- al Sailing event for Optimist and Laser dinghies. The Optimist, one of the most popular sailing dinghies in the world, is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by children up to the age of 15. The Optimist is recognised as an International Class by the International Sailing Federa- tion. The dinghy is classified as a "pram" because of its shallow- draught flat-bottom. There will be three Optimist Classes, namely, the Senior Division for Boys and Girls be- tween 12 and 15 years, the Ca- det Division for Boys and Girls between 8 and 11 years, and the Beginners' Division for Boys and Girls born between 2001 and 2008, who have only been sailing for 12 months. There will also be Laser 4.7 and Radial fleets which will be sailed in a single series but on a separate course to the Opti- mists. For this year's 18th Edition there are 142 sailors from 20 countries registered already! Young sailors will be coming from Australia, Croatia, Cy- prus, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom! The Regatta will be held in the crystal clear blue waters racing arena of Mellieha Bay, with the db Seabank Resort + Spa once again recognised as the official hotel of the Regatta. 'Euromed' is held during the school Christ- mas holidays where foreign competing youngsters travel to Malta accompanied by other members of their families who besides competing in the Re- gatta, taste the holiday values of our country. The past seventeen editions gave Malta the pride of six vic- tories, followed by Italy and Russia boasting three victories each, and Sweden cherishing two wins, concluding the pres- tigious seventeen winners line- up with Great Britain, Iceland and Turkey showing-off one tri- umph each. The Mapfre Middlesea Eu- romed Regatta, sponsored by Mapfre Middlesea p.l.c. and held under the patronage of the Malta Sailing Federation, fea- tures more than just an inter- national representation of com- petitors. Bojan Gale (SLO), Mirko Ur- kas (CRO), Manuel Ken Gamito (POR) under the Chairmanship of Giorgio D'Avanzo (ITA) make up the Jury Panel. Furthermore Jon Eskdale (GBR) will be the Re- sults Officer while Annika Ek- man (SWE) will be Race Officer for the Laser course. Also assist- ing on the Optimist and Laser courses will be Peter and Anne Taylor from Great Britain. Peter Dimech (MLT) is the Principal Race Officer on the Optimist course and he will be assisted by David Bartol (SLO) who is an International Race Officer. A growing popular attraction offered by the Malta Young Sail- ors Club is the pre-Euromed clinic which gives competitors, both local and foreigners, a unique opportunity to prepare for the Regatta on the same waters as well as grasp fore- most sailing techniques from qualified international coaches. This year the clinic will be held between the 11th and 15th De- cember and will be run by the international Serbian coach Maurizio Bencic. "Our sailors always look with great passion to Euromed. This year Malta will be rep- resented by 21 sailors made up in two teams – 14 sailors in the A team and 8 in the B team with an average age of 11. The youngest sailor in the B team, which hosts the new young sailing enthusiasts, is a 9-year-old", remarked Jean Paul Fleri Soler, the Malta Young Sailors Club Youth Develop- ment Officer. A delightful scene of many small sails in Mellieha Bay as young sailors are anxious to get into action in the Mapfre Middlesea Euromed Regatta 2017. (Photo: Andrea Schultheis) David Haye-Tony Bellew rematch to take place on May 5 2018 THE postponed heavyweight fight between David Haye and Tony Bellew will now take place on May 5, promoter Ed- die Hearn has announced. Bellew beat Haye in their grudge match in March and the two had been due to face off again this month, only for Haye to suffer a bicep injury. It was a cruel blow for the for- mer world heavyweight cham- pion, who was hindered in the first fight by a ruptured Achil- les. His bicep has also required surgery but he is now set to face the Liverpudlian at Lon- don's O2 next spring. "I'm thrilled to confirm that the rematch between myself and Tony Bellew will take place," Haye told Hearn's Matchroom Sports' official website. "Whilst the first chapter of the Haye-Bellew saga didn't go my way, fans were left on the edge of their seats throughout the thrilling 11-round battle. "The rematch in May will no doubt eclipse this." For his part, Bellew has stated his intention to deal with Haye before moving on to another domestic rival in the form of the returning Tyson Fury. "I'm pleased to get a new date in the diary and I look forward to giving boxing fans a great night on May 5," he said. "To be honest I was looking forward to a great victory in December and a relaxing fam- ily break over Christmas but my mind is still very much on this fight and I will punish him for that. "I now have a very clear plan for 2018 and that is to knock out David Haye and then knock out Tyson 'Stavros Flat- ley' Fury and end both their careers but first things first I need to rid the sport of Da- vid Haye on May 5 and I look forward to doing this in what I believe will be an explosive fight."