UAE Wins Team Racing at 2026 Arab Sailing Cup in Jeddah

Jeddah Sailing Center on South Obhur Beach hosted the team racing round of the 2026 Arab Sailing Championship on 19 September 2026, bringing together 10 teams representing 9 Arab countries in the Optimist class. The United Arab Emirates claimed the team racing title, with Oman taking silver and Morocco bronze.

The championship runs from 17 to 21 September 2026 on the Red Sea coast in Jeddah. The opening day was set aside for registration, equipment inspection, and a practice race, followed by the Arab Cup team racing on 18 September. Fleet racing and the closing ceremony with the awards presentation are scheduled for 19 to 21 September.

In the team racing event, the UAE qualified directly for the final from the preliminary rounds, while Oman and Morocco competed for the second finalist spot. A notable highlight was a unified girls' team made up of sailors from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, competing together in the team racing category.

Around 90 young sailors aged between 8 and 15 are taking part in the championship, with participating countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Sudan, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

A separate "Cup of Nations" race was also scheduled for 19 September, with one sailor from each country starting from the beach, sailing a single lap, and returning to shore; the first to reach the Cup wins.

Why it matters

Hosting a regional youth championship on the Abhur coast strengthens Jeddah's role as a training base for young sailors and puts the city's waterfront on the map for water sports across the Arab world. For local families, it offers young talent a chance to compete against peers from across the region close to home.

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