Sailing World Championships: The Africans with Olympic dreams
- Published
Felipe Andre started sailing when he was seven and is part of the Clube Naval de Luanda based on the coastline of the Angolan capital
The beach in the Hague is jam-packed with athletes from across the globe, tending to dinghies and equipment ahead of the Sailing World Championships.
Amongst the throng, Angola's Joao Artur and Felipe Andre are preparing their boats - two of a handful of African sailors competing in the Netherlands.
With six days of intense action to come, getting things just right is vital.
"The biggest challenge is the difference in the weather," Andre, 25, tells BBC Sport Africa.
"In Luanda, we train in the bay, not outside where there are big waves."
Not far away, Morocco's Adil Elamrati laughs as he looks around.
"It's the dream of all the people you see here to go to the Olympics," says the experienced 40-year-old.
Taking part in a World Championships is huge for all of the competitors in the Hague, but it is also a step on the hoped-for road to Paris 2024.
World Sailing's Emerging Nations Programme
The top sailing nations come to events like this with big teams packed with coaching and administrative support whereas competitors from smaller nations often travel on their own.
However, on this occasion, Artur, Andre and Elamrati, plus sailors from Mozambique, Samoa, Fiji, India and elsewhere, have extra backing.
They are all part of governing body World Sailing's Emerging Nations Programme - designed to make sure the sport makes an impact beyond its traditional heartlands.
"What we're trying to do is give these guys the same support that other nations here have," says World Sailing's Catherine Duncan.
"Often they might be the only person who is travelling to the event, so we try to make a group of these sailors, provide them with the coaching, logistical and financial support where we can, so they can come here and compete with the best."
At just 21-years-old, Joao Artur is among the least experienced sailors at the World Championships being held in the Netherlands
Artur, Andre and Elamrati compete in the ILCA 7 class - one of sailing's most common events (formerly known as the Laser).
It is a one-person dinghy, and while competitors bring their own sail and ropes, the basic hull is allocated to each racer by organisers.
That means it is much more about the sailor than their equipment, says one of the coaches working with the Africans, Britain's Jon Emmett.
Emmett has previously coached Olympic gold medallists but says working with sailors who do not regularly get coaching is hugely satisfying - because he can see the difference he is making.
"It makes you feel like a fantastic coach, because you're able to make huge improvements in a short time," he says.
Having just missed out on a place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Elamrati says the extra help could make all the difference this time round
"You need to improve your sailing and your technical level, and you can't do it alone," says the Moroccan.
"This is the chance we have - to access all those things."
It is also a chance to learn, particularly for Artur who, at 21, is at the other end of his sailing career.
"We have some of the best coaches in the world working with us," he explains.
"This is an opportunity for us to be training with other athletes and talents, and then compete. We can learn and then come home and teach others. That's most important."
Angola is historically one of Africa's strongest sailing nations, and Artur and Andre say the next generation is already having success on the continental stage.
But resources are scarce, despite what they say is good support from their clubs and the country's sailing federation.
"I hope the federation keeps supporting new sailors and we'll absolutely give back what we are learning here," says Artur.
Elamrati agrees the struggle for resources is key to developing the sport across the continent.
"Sailing is a little community and we need to keep the attention of the authorities, sponsors and the people who take decisions.
"If you need to go to regattas or coaching clinics, it's so expensive. [But with investment] things can go very quickly. I know that if I get help I will quickly improve my level."
The challenges facing sailors from countries where the sport is less developed are glaringly illustrated by the case of Mozambique's Alcidio Lino and Denise Parreque who compete in the 470 class, a two-person dinghy.
But unlike the ILCA competitors, sailors in the 470 have to provide their own boat - and the one arranged for Lino and Parreque did not arrive in time.
Instead of racing against the world's best, they are left standing on the Hague's beach.
"It's sad, but now I'm just trying to talk to other sailors and get a little bit of experience from them," says Lino, trying to remain upbeat.
"[But] it's different to being on the water."
Mozambique's Alcidio Lino was supposed to race a two-person dinghy with experienced partner Denise Parreque - but the boat did not arrive in time
The road to Olympic qualification
There are multiple routes to qualify for the Olympics, which may be why several African countries - such as South Africa and Egypt - are not represented in the Netherlands.
Only the very top finishers will seal a place in Paris via the World Championships.
That is why the Africans are more focused on the continent's qualifying regatta, which will take place in Egypt in a few months' time.
But there too, competition will be intense.
"In ILCA 7 there will be about 30 sailors looking for only two spots, so it's really difficult to qualify," Andre says.
He would like to see more places allocated to Africa, although there are other routes - including one spot specifically for emerging nations and a so-called "Last Chance Regatta" which will hand out the final places.
Andre would also like to see sailing return to the African Games.
For the time being, he and his fellow Africans are focusing on their competition off the coast of the Netherlands - hoping to make waves now and to learn as much as they can for the future.
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