From September30th to October3rd, the final battle of the International Extreme Sailing Series - Qingdao"Maze Run Cup" sailing regatta will be staged in Fushan Bay, which is the eighth consecutive year of the tournament. This morning, the captain of the"Maze Run" Cup Competition of the2018 International Extreme Sailing Series Qingdao Station will be held at the Olympic Sports Center Media Center, from6 countries and regions including China, France, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, Hong Kong, China,12 The captain of the hydrofoil catamaran team shared the story behind the event and the glory of the champion.

Zhang Min, deputy director of the Qingdao Sailing Management Center, said in his speech that since2011, Qingdao and OC Group have been working together for8 years. In the past8 years, we have witnessed the continuous growth of the International Extreme Sailing Series, from the initial From40 to GC32 to this year's flight ghost, each competition will bring a wonderful visual feast to Qingdao and the world.

As the final battle of this international extreme sailing series, the finale of the2018 international major event, the internationalization and competitive level of the Qingdao race will be upgraded again. The new ship type and the new team will ignite the11th holiday and help the new Olympics. A new hot spot for sail tourism. At that time, citizens and tourists can watch the game free of charge at the Olympic Sailing Center, May Fourth Square, Music Square, etc., and take a closer look at the world's top sailors' superb skills and coolness.

The reporter was informed that as one of the celebrations of the10th anniversary of the Olympic Sailing Competition, the competition was quite interesting in the regatta and the team.

Aspect1: The new show of the new regatta in the East brings a hearty visual feast

The International Extreme Sailing Series is one of the five special events of the World Sailing Federation. It has opened the first of its kind in the“Sports-style” sailing regatta and is recognized as the“most ornamental event” in the world. The International Extreme Sailing Series"Flying Phantom" series is a world famous. This series of competitions was held this year in five locations around the world, including Muscat in Oman, Barcelona in Spain and Cardiff in the UK. The extreme Qingdao race is the first show of the ship in the Eastern world.

The"Flying Ghost" sailing boat was designed by Mirage International Co., Ltd., Dr. Martin Fisher and the French UNITA Sailing Team. It has a length of5.5 meters, a weight of165 kilograms and a mast height of9.6 meters. There are only two crew members on each ship. Big and fast speeds are also faster. The ship is a hydrofoil catamaran, similar to the GC32, with a top speed of31 knots. When a certain speed is reached, the vessel can leave the water and fly at low altitude.

Aspect2: The size of the participating fleet is unprecedented.“F1 at sea” stuns Fushan Bay

The2018 International Extreme Sailing Series Qingdao Station"Maze Run" Cup Competition is the largest in the2018 series, attracting6 countries and regions from China, France, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, Hong Kong, China,12 The international fleet entered the competition. From France, the return team, the black flag team, the cultural flight team, the flying frog team, the ABM team, the interception team, the guest sports team, the Hamilton Wass team from New Zealand, the Evovisin team from Germany, from Spain. The Pulse Team, the Hong Kong Replica Team and the Qingdao team from China, formed a strong lineup. It is not difficult to imagine that the12 fleets will start at the same time, and the dramatic confrontation will surely bring a visual feast.

There is no shortage of"star crew" in Qingdao. Of particular interest is the New Zealander Mika Wilkinson, who just won the championship at Cardiff Station in the Flying Ghost series in August. He is hailed as the"star of hope" for the2020 Tokyo Olympics. In this competition, he will play for the Hamilton Wars team and is one of the favourites to win the championship. There are also many"old acquaintances" in Qingdao among the crew members. The frog team helmsman Pierre Le Cleche had followed the Red Bull team to Qingdao in five years ago.

After successfully hosting a series of exciting"Flying Ghosts" series, the event director Anne Mallédant placed high hopes on Qingdao.“This will be one of the best flight ghost races of the year,” she said."The high level of the12 participating teams must be watched! We hope to have a perfect start, and the local wind and temperature are now very suitable, everyone is very excited!"

Aspect3: Qingdao's big"ambition" and big strategy

From the2008 Olympic Sailing Competition, the Paralympic Sailing Competition, to the Volvo Ocean Race, the International Extreme Series Regatta, the Clipper Round the World, and other internationally renowned events, as the“Sailboat Capital” of China, Qingdao has gone out of every step. It has the meaning of benchmarking. While learning the mature sailing system overseas, the“Sailboat Capital” Qingdao attaches great importance to the deepening of the sailing industry and talents. Through a series of independent brand events and activities, it has further established its important position in the international sailing.

As an important carrier of Qingdao's world-famous“Sailboat Capital”, the International Extreme Competition has been landing in Qingdao for8 consecutive years. It has witnessed the international vision and extraordinary growth of this coastal city and has become a boutique event to showcase the quality of Qingdao Shanhai City Sail. It has become an important kinetic energy for Qingdao to sail the world and build a leading city for Asian sailing. Ji Gaoshang, director of the Qingdao Municipal Sports Bureau and secretary of the Qingdao Major International Sailing Competition (Festival), said:"This year is the eighth year of cooperation between Qingdao and the International Extreme Sailing Series. As an internationally renowned top sailing event, International The Extreme Regatta has witnessed the extraordinary growth of Qingdao, the capital of sailing. It is looking forward to the new limit of the international extreme sailing series Qingdao Station."

Aspect4: Strong alliance, seize the"water wing future"

In recent years, the hydrofoil regatta has become increasingly popular in the international arena, whether it is the America's Cup, the Olympic Sailing, the Volvo Ocean Race or the Vendée single uninterrupted round-the-world regatta, or even the small Figaro single regatta. The hydrofoil technology is regarded as the"secret weapon" of invincibility. On the other hand, although the sailing industry has flourished in recent years, there are very few people who are truly proficient in hydrofoil sailing. OC Sports is keenly aware of this blank point and has reached a consensus with the Qingdao City Yacht Management Center to develop more and more professional new sailing talents in China.

As the world's leading sports marketing and event management company, OC Sports has successfully operated the Volvo Ocean Race Dongfeng team project and pushed the Dongfeng team to the final podium of the event, becoming the first champion in the history of the event. Chinese fleet. From cultivating China's voyage talents to boosting the development of hydrofoil sailing, OC Sports has contributed to China's sailing with its international vision and resources.

Aspect5: The Qingdao Internationalization Competition mode was praised. This French guy remembered Qingdao for5 years.

Pierre-Yves Durand, the helmsman from the French ABM team, said more than once that"Qingdao is the most special city in his life" because he has an arm here. In2013, he followed the Red Bull team to Qingdao to participate in the International Extreme Sailing Series. On the eve of the start, his arm was seriously injured."The whole arm was sorely painful. I thought it was the bones broken. Later I learned that everything except the bones was broken - skin, muscles, meridians..." Pierre recalls.

After the incident, the Organizing Committee of the Qingdao Major International Sailing Event (Festival) event quickly launched a medical emergency plan. Pierre was sent to the Qingdao Municipal Hospital for treatment at the first time, and then returned to France with the medical staff. treatment.“My French doctor told me that the worst situation is that I might lose an arm, but the medical team in Qingdao did a very good job. They let me continue to do what I love... I have been thinking for5 years. they."

Today, Pierre wants to meet with his medical staff. The medical staff said:"We just did the job of the medical practitioner, but he remembered us for five years, which made us very moved." Yes, it will add a bit of warmth to the first day of the start of the game.

On October1st, according to the schedule, the competition is scheduled to start at13:00. At that time, citizens and tourists can watch the game free of charge at the Olympic Sailing Center, May Fourth Square, Music Square, etc., and take a close look at the world's top sailing craftsmanship and sleek spirits.

Qingdao station competition in the eyes of the ultimate captain

Rob Partridge: What are your expectations for the conditions of the venue?

First of all, many people think that the wind in Qingdao is relatively small, but this week's weather forecast shows that there has always been strong winds. As you can see now, these winds are blown from the land, so the wind speed is not very stable. There will also be a lot of uncertainty in our arena.

Hugo Le Pombelek: Is this your first time sailing in Qingdao? How is it compared to other venues?

Yes, this is my first time to come to Qingdao to participate. The boat in the competition is different from the one I participated in before, and the venue is not passed. The vessel participating in this competition is a hydrofoil, which is more entertaining to the media and tourists in the near-shore competition.

Ulysses Nohhan: You have just completed the"Flying Ghost" level event. How did you prepare for this competition?

If you have been trained in Germany, you have also trained in France. Yesterday we also got into the water. Although we encountered a little problem, we can completely overcome it. I believe that it will not affect the game.

Mika Wilkinson: You are fighting for the2020 Tokyo Olympics. So what is the feeling of playing in this Olympic waters?

In2008, I was watching a game from the New Zealand team. The wind was very big and the game was very exciting. This time we will use the hydrofoil catamaran to compete, and we hope that we can win the2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Oriol Mahisx: In June of this year, you participated in the International Extreme Sailing Series Barcelona. How does the"Flying Ghost" ship type compare to other ship types you sailed?

This ship type is different from the ship type I have sailed before. The wind here is also relatively large. I hope that our game will go smoothly.

Annabel Voss: As a female nautical athlete, what do you think is the biggest challenge for you?

For women, it may not be as convenient as men on the body, but this is not an absolute problem. Why can't women participate? We can see in the competition such as the America's Cup, there are many women in the scene of the game.