MEDIA RELEASE
ADELAIDE TO HOST INTERNATIONAL 505 SAILING CHAMPIONSHIPS


505 Worlds 2006 at HISC

Adelaide has won the right to host the 2007 International 505 Sailing Championships.

A high-performance two-person dinghy racing class, the 505 category attracts many high profile Olympic sailors. Australian competitors will include the Nicholson brothers from Sydney, who competed in Athens, and Adelaide’s Sandy Higgins – the current Australian National Champion.

Though a final date is yet to be confirmed, the championships will be held in January or February 2007 at the Brighton & Seacliff Yacht Club, which also hosted the World Championships in 1966 and 1983, and has staged several international and national championships.

Adelaide Convention and Tourism Authority Chief Executive Martin Winter, who helped secure the event for South Australia, said winning the 505 World Sailing Championships was a significant coup for the state.

"The quality of Adelaide’s bid, along with our track-record in staging world-class sporting events and the efforts of the International 505 Yacht Racing Association of South Australia, who were the driving force behind the bid, are the reasons behind this win," Mr Winter said.

"From an economic perspective, the championships are expected to generate over 3,800 visitor nights and inject over $1.2 million into the economy."

Event spokesperson and 505 class sailor Mr Martin Pike said over 200 sailors, from 18 different countries, would compete in the championships, with the European and United States entrants expected to be the ones to beat.

"Prior to the World Championships we will be staging the Australian titles as a warm-up series, and this is expected to attract 120 competitors," Mr Pike said.

"The International 505 Yacht Racing Association of South Australia is looking forward to staging this event and welcoming the competitors and their families to our State."

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