GAZI – Hot weather today, July 10th, fourth day of competitions at the 5th World University Match Racing Championship, with Meltem winds and ideal conditions for the quarter-finals, which already started yesterday afternoon.
The strong winds experienced yesterday played a damaging factor that was sustained by some of the boats, and this issue was raised by the Organising Committee at the briefing this morning.
Indeed, the wind was quite strong and the Organising Committee, in agreement with the CT Chair, Roland Galliot, decided this morning to stop the fifth stage for the 9th to 13th places. This means that unfortunately, for the teams of Zuzanna (POL), Cavallari (ITA), Katarzyna (POL), Neoklaras (GRE) and Aggelakis (GRE), the competition was over.
Michalis KiritsisFISU talked to Mr. Michalis Kiritsis, President of the Hellenic University Sports Federation. He mentionned that Match Racing was the third Championship organised by the Greek NUSF in this area in Crete. The two other ones being Wrestling in Thessalonika, and the inaugural edition of Weightlifting in Komotini.
Mr. Kiritsis explained that his role is “to contact universities and try to make them enter into the FISU competitions, or bid for a World University Championship, always including the Rector of the University concerned in the Organising Committee. In this case Prof. Ioannis Palikaris, Mr.Stelios Zacharioudakis, General Director-University of Crete, Prof. Theodoros Katsaounis, Technical Director–University of Crete. Mr.Kiritsis is Member of the Organising Committee too.
About the organisation of the 2010World University Match Racing Championship, Mr. Kiritsis commented:
“Although the financial crisis has been a major problem for our Federation, and the OC’s budget was reduced to the minimum, and the same happened to the University’s and to the municipal budget also, both involved in the organisation of this WUC, we try to make of this event a great success. This is the first year that we face the financial crisis. The organisation of this Championship was planned with a different budget in mind of course and suddenly, this budget disappeared. We nevertheless took the decision not to cancel this event, but going ahead on the basis of new financial abilities. We hope that this championship will be completed successfully and that all officials and athletes will have a good experience and feeling afterwards.”
Mr. Kiritsis als praised CT Chair Mr. Roland Galliot and the CISCA members C-L. Gallien, E. Meschi, J. Harvey as well as FISU Staff member N. Mangelschots. “They helped us overcome all those issues raised at the beginning of the Championship. Day by day, things are running really smoothly and we hope to have great finals on Sunday, with a nice Closing Ceremony.”
Today also the draws for quarter and semi-finals took place.
“What is special in Match Racing is that the better positioned amongst the semi-finalist will choose his opponent and this strategic point is really interesting to see”, said Roland Galliot.
Beautiful matches could be witnessed again this afternoon under a fabulous blue sky.
The teams reaching the semi-finals are Shaw (GBR), O’Leary (IRE) and the two teams from AUS, Griffin and Whitty. For Australia, they were then of course sure to have a place in the final. The semi-finals were really tight and for example, not even 1 meter was separating the Australian spinnakers.
The teams of Christopher (Singapore), Denis (France), Goss (GBR) and Boidin (Denmark) were competing for the places 5th to 8th.
(Source: Nicole Mangelschots, FISU Asst. WUC)
RESULTS DAY 4