Olympic Sailing Competition Forum started from March 10th. Officers of 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition Organization department came to Forum to communicate with citizens on March 10th.

    Summary of the chat as follows:

    Q: Is it easy to learn sailing? Is there any free training for us to join in? A: It’s not difficult to learn sailing. You can sail a boat only after half-day training under guidance and company of a professional coach. Some sailing clubs in Qingdao run trainings usually, you can choose some course that fits you.

    Q: Is the duration of the competition limited or not? How long should the athletes stay on water? A: Yes, the duration is limited. Olympic Sailing Competition regulates that anticipating signal is sent out at 1:00 pm every game-day. Race will be postponed if under certain unsuitable weather. Regularly the athletes need to stay on water around 4-6 hours. One round sailing game usually runs around 1-1.5 hours.

    Q: Could you please introduce something about Paralympics？ Is it of the same game style as Olympics? A: Paralympics has only 3 events, and the number of participants is much less than Olympics. Its game style is similar to Olympics. Athletes’ security is more considered in Paralympics.

    Q: Can we see the competition at May 4th Square? A: Yes, with the help of a telescope.

    Q: How can the athletes notice the start of the race? A: By whistle blowing.

    Q: How many referees in Olympic Sailing Competition? What’s number of the domestic and overseas referees? A: There 26 referees with 25 overseas referees and 1 Chinese referee.

    Q: What’s the schedule of the Olympic Sailing Competition? A: The competition is from 9th August to 21st August. The Competition will postponed from 22nd August to 23August if the weather is unfitted.

    Q: We know little about sailing, and lots friends from all over the world will come by then, will there be some ways to get to know more about the competition? A: There will be live commentary and related basic information introductions by then, which will help you out.

    Q: How many classes in Olympic Sailing Competition? A: There 9 classes in Olympic Sailing Competition.

    Q: How many competition volunteers the Olympic Sailing Competition requires and how many has been reserved? A: So far, the estimated number is 395, and nearly 200 have been reserved.

    Q: How is the preparatory work for Olympic Sailing Competition going? A: The preparatory work is running well as planned. Volunteer recruit has been finished and the final training and assessment is on-going. Final competition equipments bid has started, competition documents such as competition rules (draft) and game venues execution plan have already been finished.

    Q: How much does a sailing boat cost? A: That depends on the class of the boat a wide range of prices, the cheapest boat costs around 5000 RMB.

    Q: I went to the Olympic Sailing Center in 2007, the games were canceled sometimes. Will this situation happen during the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition? A: Technically, competitions can’t be canceled. The competitions will be postponed if the weather condition is unfitted.

    Q: Is there any other competition held in Qingdao? What I know is only Olympic Sailing Competition and Clipper Yacht Race. A: There will be a Disabled Sailing Tournament held in May this year. In mid-February, Volvo Ocean Race will come for Qingdao stopover race.

    Q: Is it the same race style with Clipper and Olympic Sailing Competition? A: The Clipper Yacht Race is a touring rally, Olympic Sailing Competition is a course race.