(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Waleed al Kindi Oman's top windsurfer and the sultanate's lone representative at the forthcoming 2015 RS:X World Windsurfing Championships has pulled out with a back injury.
Kindi's withdrawal is certainly a setback for the host nation and Oman Sail which was hoping to see its own sailor compete with the world's best windsurfers at the Musannah Sports City from October 17-24.
The worlds will serve as the final major meeting for top windsurfers ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro Brazil.
Kindi hopes to recover from his injury in time for the Asian championships to be held in Abu Dhabi UAE next March.
Preparations in the final stage
The 2015 RS:X World Windsurfing Championships are being organised by Oman Sail under the aegis of the Oman Sailing Committee which is headed by Rashid al Kindi.
With the RS:X class celebrating its tenth anniversary this year the event is expected to attract top officials including RS:X class president Carlo Dalla Vedova and representatives from 32 nations.
The top 50 ranked athletes including 24 women from 32 nations will be sizing up the conditions in Oman to prepare for Rio 2016 where the winds and tides are expected to be similar to that in Musannah making this event an ideal tune-up.
'With the 2016 Olympics taking place in August next year the RS:X World Championships will offer a chance for the world to get an idea of who could be winning medals in Rio as well as what Musannah can offer as a world-class racing venue which is of Olympic standard' said David Graham the CEO of Oman Sail which recently established a Youth Windsurfing Club.
Vedova said 'Oman is fast becoming one of the top venues for international water sports competitions and it is not difficult to see why.
'The conditions are superb and the organising is top rate so we are looking forward to our visit and spending the tenth birthday of the RS:X class at Musannah.'
The race management is set to comprise Omani umpires who were trained at Oman Sail's sailing schools.
The inaugural RS:X World Championships were held at Lake Garda in Italy in 2006 while subsequent world championships have been held in Cascais Portugal; Auckland New Zealand; Kerteminde Denmark; Weymouth UK; Perth Australia; Cadiz Spain; Buzios Brazil; and Santander Spain.
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