MainSail

SHOW #93

Middle East

This winter the Volvo Ocean Race will have a stopover in Abu Dhabi, the first time this classic round-the-world race will visit the Middle East in its thirty-eight year history. In 2012, major sailing world circuits are hosting events in the region for the first time ever.

But the Middle East is not only investing in the professional side of the sport. Government backed initiatives are providing learning opportunities for local people, offering the chance of employment in the sport and even the prospect for training and coaching for those who show promise.

Shirley Robertson is in the region on board with professional sailors and team managers to find out why the sport has fallen in love with the region, and spends time on the inside of a unique training camp for local people to find out why the region has chosen sailing.