CHENNAI: The SDAT 11th India International Youth Sailing Championship, billed as the country’s longest-running international youth sailing regatta, was officially launched in Chennai ahead of the event scheduled from January 4 to 10.
The championship will be held at Chennai Port and has drawn 117 registered sailors from 13 countries across five youth classes: 420, 29er, ILCA 4, Optimist and iQFOiL Youth Windsurfing.
The launch press conference was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Atulya Misra, Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu Member Secretary J Meganatha Reddy, Yachting Association of India Vice President and TNSA representative R Ashok Thakkar, Olympian K C Ganapathy, national medallist S Jayalakshmi and IIR 2026 competitor Vantava R.
Misra said the State sees sailing as a performance sport with strong medal potential and that Tamil Nadu has played a leading role in developing young talent. He said the Government is supporting the creation of two sailing Centres of Excellence, one at Marina Beach in Chennai and another in Ramanathapuram, as part of SDAT’s Olympic Water Sports programme.
The Government’s focus was on building structured training pathways and international exposure opportunities for youth athletes. Events like this provide competitive environments where young sailors gain experience that prepares them for higher levels of competition
J Meganatha Reddy
The organisers said the championship has served as a development platform for U-18 sailors and cited former participants who went on to achieve international success, including New Zealand’s Isaac McHardy, a Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist, and Irish sailors Sean Waddilove and Paddy Crosbie.
Irish coach Thomas Chaix, who has been associated with the event since 2011, said the regatta holds significance for many athletes and coaches who have returned over the years. “IIR is something different, a lifelong memory and a special chapter in a sailor’s journey, and a great excuse for coaches to reunite with friends,” he said.
The organisers said the event is returning after a brief hiatus and will continue in the coming years as a pathway programme for emerging youth sailors.