Chief guest of the event, Major General Thamer bin Ali al-Mehshadi (centre), Inspector General of Qatar Armed Forces, and Staff Major General Mohammed bin Nasser al-Mohannadi (second right), Commander of the Qatar Emiri Navy and chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee at the opening ceremony of the 47th World Military Sailing Championship (470 Class) at Katara Cultural Village.

By Sports Reporter/Doha

The 47th World Military Sailing Championship (470 Class) was declared open yesterday at a glittering opening ceremony at the Katara Cultural Village.  The event, which begins today at the Doha Marriot Hotel, will be held in Qatar for the first time and will conclude on Friday. Qatar’s Armed Forces are organising the event, which is open to both men and women, in collaboration with the Qatar Military Sports Association and the Qatar Sailing Federation.
Yesterday, at the opening ceremony, top officials of Qatar’s Armed Forces were in attendance at Katara as the participating teams gathered. The ceremony included parade by the teams marching through music by military band.  Chief guest of the event, Major General Thamer bin Ali al-Mehshadi, Inspector General of Qatar Armed Forces, declared the Championship open. Commander of the Qatar Emiri Navy, Staff Major General Mohammed bin Nasser al-Mohannadi, who is also the chairman of the Supreme Organising Committee welcomed the participants and officials in his welcome speech.
The sailing championship is held under the auspices of the World Military Sports Council (CISM), a body representing 134 nations. Founded in 1948, CISM is one of the largest multidisciplinary organisations in the world. A true pioneer in international sports solidarity, CISM has implemented projects organised in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee and organisations such as the United Nations and the European Community. The goal of CISM is to contribute to world peace by uniting armed forces through sports.
Around 40 men officers from 16 countries and 16 women from seven countries will vie for top honours over the next three days. Qatar, one of the fancied teams to finish on the podium has fielded only men’s team. The hosts challenge will be spearheaded by Warrant Officer Fahad al-Malki, who is also the captain of the team, Sergeant Jassim al-Sulaiti and Corporal Waleed al-Shashani.
Qatar, coached by Gasper Strahovnik stand a good chance having done exceedingly well in the recent competitions in Europe. They finished first in the Netherlands, second in Croatia and third in Italy in the latest sailing meets.  In the last year’s edition of the World Military Sailing Championship, held in Norway where 13 countries took part, Qatar finished third behind Ukraine and Norway.  
The Qatar Sailing Federation headed by Khalifa al-Suwaidi is providing technical expertise while the Qatar Armed Forces are responsible for organising and managing the tournament. The hosts are providing boats to the sailors, with the Supreme Organising Committee entering into a contract with a leading company to supply 25 boats for the championship.
During the championship, organisers will also carry out anti-doping testing in compliance with CISM’s Anti-Doping regulation.  The number of competitors to be tested during the championship will be decided by the President of the CSCS and the chairman of the Organizing Committee. A minimum of five competitors shall be tested.