World Sailing breaks new ground with its development program in Sudan

Held in the city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea Coast, the week-long Technical Course for Coaches (TCC) delivered by World Sailing’s Training Delivery Manager, Rob Holden, in partnership with the Sudan Sailing Federation, the Sudanese Olympic Committee, and the national Ministry of Youth and Sports aimed to improve the sailing knowledge of coaches and instructors.

In total, 20 coaches and seven athletes including five female coaches and one female sailor took part, while also starting the process of developing athletes and officials, as well as outlining the requirements for a new sailing venue and addressing the need for more sailing equipment.

Modules held throughout the week introduced aspects of sailing to allow the Federation to move forward with their plans, including building a para sailing program and how to coach people with disabilities, athlete safeguarding, gender equality, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, prevention of injuries, and nutrition.

Mohamed Al-Hadi, the Sudan Sailing Federation General Secretary was delighted by the large number of coaches on the course and pointed towards this event becoming an activator for sailing in Sudan. Al-Hadi also praised World Sailing and Rob Holden for assisting the Federation in encouraging young people to discover sailing.

The potential for sailing in Sudan was also recognised by the Secretary, who commented that many of the participants were sailing on the sea for the first time which is in itself a historic event and a big step forward.

The Sudan Sailing Federation borrowed boats from the navy, including five Byte C2s and a rubber boat, and sent two people to observe on the third day. They ended up staying for the rest of the week and brought 46 recruits to see sailing in the Red Sea. It is hoped that in the short-term, the navy facilities could provide an excellent location for a high-performance training centre and even assist in hosting regattas.

Up until now, sailing in Sudan has only been on the Blue and White Nile rivers in Khartoum and a very small club in the port area of Port Sudan.

Sailors in Sudan never sail on the open sea due to the lack of functioning facilities, an abundance of plastic and litter, and a fear that sharks lurk in the waters.

As well as training sailors and coaching coaches, Rob was also tasked to investigate the possibility to sail at sea, including reassuring locals that the bay is safe to sail in.

Towards the end of the course, Rob was able to take the four best sailors out on the water to teach them techniques, and also prove that the sharks (or ‘smiling dolphins’ as they are known) were not waiting in the reef by getting in the water for a swim.

Further work by World Sailing and the Sudan Sailing Federation will focus on underlining the importance of keeping the seas clean and implementing sustainability goals.

The Sudan Sailing Federation and Sudanese Olympic Committee is also in the process of developing a new venue on the Red Sea at the site of a partially developed resort to accelerate this change and allow the sport to grow.

Once completed, the prospective site of the new club has huge potential to become a hub for sailing, with a beautiful coral reef close by and amazing conditions at sea.

At the conclusion of the course, the Sudanese Olympic Committee expressed their delight at the course and requested World Sailing’s assistance to apply for funding for Development of a National Sports System (DNSS). Rob was able to work with the Sudan Sailing Federation to prepare the application.

This funding could be used to launch a national sailing program, acquire additional equipment, and allow Sudan to host national and regional events, with the ultimate goal of preparing Sudanese sailors to compete internationally and qualify for the Olympic Games.

This view was echoed by Rob, who commented, “It is very seldom to find such enthusiasm among sailors and coaches, in Africa especially. Sudan Sailing Federation is desperate to develop, and there are a lot of big challenges, but this course showed me that in Sudan the attitude is right to overcome this. The Blue Nile and Red Sea is ready to become full of sails. I was particularly impressed by the girl and women on the course. The challenges they face to be part of the sport are huge but there are real leaders who want to make a difference.

“Sailing can help change this world and with DNSS followed by a scholarship and further support from World Sailing, the change can come. This was a tough course, but I can see the possibilities and I’m excited by what we can achieve here,” he added.

Additional images courtesy of Sara Bahaeldin Farah.