THE senior Chinese official in charge of the sailing venue for the 2008 Beijing Olympics has said that fears that the regatta site in Qingdao would be a disaster because of lack of wind are misplaced. Initial reports from Qingdao, a large port city in eastern China about an hour and a half’s flying time from Beijing, suggest that the average wind speed during August, when the Games will be held, could be lower than eight knots, making sailing as much a matter of chance as skill.

But in an interview with The Times in Valencia, Dong Yong Quan, the commodore of the Qingdao International Yacht Club who was in Spain to help to launch the China Team America’s Cup syndicate, said that, while wind conditions are not ideal in his home city, he believes that a fair Olympic regatta can be held there. “Although I’m not an expert, I can tell you that in August there will be mild and moderate wind. I think it’s good for sailing, but I don’t think it’s perfect for sailing,” Dong said.

But he also conceded that research by the Chinese suggested that there might be days during the Games when sailing will not be possible. “Maybe some days there is no wind — there is the problem,” he said. “That is why more and more sailing teams are training in Qingdao in August, to get used to the sailing conditions in August.”

As far as the average wind speed in Qingdao is concerned, Dong said that he had forgotten the precise figure but pointed out that wind conditions there are being transmitted on the internet at the Olympic regatta’s official site.

Addressing concerns that the strong tidal currents in the Yellow Sea could make racing in light winds difficult, Dong said that this would not be a problem because the race courses will be situated away from the areas of strongest current. He was convinced, he added, that the event would be a memorable success. “I hope — because we are the best — that we have a safe and wonderful regatta in Qingdao and all the sailors will remember our yacht club and our sailing,” he said.

Senior figures in British Olympic sailing have privately speculated that the Chinese may be forced to move the sailing venue if the pre-Olympic regatta, which will be staged in Qingdao in August 2007, turns out to be a farce. However, the chances of this happening seem remote.

Qingdao, a sprawling city of some 20 million people, has taken sailing to its heart, even renaming itself “Qingdao City of Sailing” and adopting a new city logo complete with a sail motif. Dong seemed mystified at the suggestion that the regatta could be moved. “It’s not a problem,” he said, summarising Qingdao’s meteorology. “These are nature’s conditions.”

He revealed that the Chinese have spent in the region of $300 million (about £167 million) developing the venue, which involved moving an entire dockyard to make way for it. “By June 2006, most of the main functions will be ready for the sailing teams,” he said.

Link: www.sailing2008.org