The prestigious IODA Asian & Oceanian Championships has attracted the national team of 22 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, China, India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka for the IODA Championships 2019.
International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) is the world body for Optimist class sailing dinghies. The Association holds world championships as well as regional championships each year. The Optimist class is a single-handed sailing dinghy developed for children up to the age of 15.
This competition is considered to be of high standards that top sailors from North and South America and Europe will also travel to Oman to participate in the races and pace themselves against their Asian and Oceanian counterparts. This year, since there are so many competitors, the races will be held across three fleets with 50 -70 boats on a start line.
Team Sri Lanka will also partake in this prestigious event following the national trials which were held in order to finalize the crew. The team has been training hard under experienced National Coach Krishan Janaka, with the support of Sri Lanka’s Olympian dinghy sailor Lalin Jirasinghe and the assistance of YASL and the Sri Lanka Navy.
Last year at the IODA 2018 held in Myanmar, Sri Lanka fielded 6 participants; Thomian sailors Jehan de Silva and the Nanayakkara brothers Dhanika and Niveyn, Royalist sailors Sahanya Wewita and Anuka Samaraweera along with Tarini de Silva of Ladies’ College.
This year the team has also been extremely fortunate to garner the support of TASS with Sports Scientist Thanura Abeywardena and his team who came onboard to help the young sailors to achieve the level of fitness they need to compete at an international level.
The team is as follows
Shashenka Fernando, Enalka de Silva, and brothers Dhanika, Nikhil and Tharen Nanayakkara of S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, Tarini de Silva, Lara Gunawardana and Taalya Tranchell of Ladies’ College and Udan Marapperuma and Manthisa Gunasekara of Royal College.
7 members will make their debut appearance at the IODA 2019 whilst, Tarini de Silva is set to sail in her 4th IODA, Danika Nanayakkara in his 3rd IODA and Sashenka Fernando in his 2nd are expected to do well and move up from their previous rankings.
Live races can be watched via the IODA app available on any iOS or Android phone or at http://2019asianoceanians.optiworld.org
