Sailing success for North Shore City

June 23, 2005

Sailing success for North Shore City

It's been 24 years since an Olympic class yachting world championship has been held in New Zealand - but North Shore City is soon to break that drought.

A successful joint bid between North Shore City Council and Yachting New Zealand for the 2008 Tornado World Championships will see the boats race off our east coast.

North Shore City community services and parks committee chairperson, Margaret Miles, says it is wonderful to secure such a top class regatta for the city.

"The triumph of the International 14 World Championships, held off Takapuna Beach last year, obviously contributed to our success with this bid," she says.

Paul Dunphy, North Shore City events, city promotions and tourism manager, agrees.

"The International 14 went so well, and had such positive spin-offs for our city -including a $1.1m boost for the economy - and the Tornados will be even bigger," he says.

"It's a great spectator sport and there will be plenty of action on the water for people to enjoy."

Mr Dunphy travelled with Yachting New Zealand to La Rochelle in France - where the world championships have just been held - to make the bid.

North Shore City was chosen ahead of Melbourne, and the regatta will be the last qualifier for the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, in 2008.

The Tornado is a 6.1m catamaran sailed by two people, and New Zealand has played a significant role in the development of the class.

"Our sailors have also had significant success with this boat. Rex Sellars and Chris Timms won a gold medal for New Zealand at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles," says Paul Dunphy.

"In La Rochelle Aaron McIntosh finished sixth with his partner, current world champion Carlos Espinola of Argentina."

North Shore City also recently secured the Junior World Table Tennis Championships, to be held in December 2008, and the 2007 New Zealand Brass Band Championships.

In August this year another joint bid will be made with Yachting New Zealand to hold the 2009 420 Class World Championships in North Shore City.

"Continuing to secure such events can only be good for North Shore City, and shows that we have the facilities and environment to compete with other - and often much larger - cities across the world," says Councillor Miles.

ENDS

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