![](\"/pic/20200121/5b83d7d4e690dc760fa58814f5595748.jpg\")
Since being elected as the new president of the Chinese Yachting Association on January 18, Zhang Xiaodong’s life has been defined by “constant travel.” She is personally involved in numerous "mundane" yet critical tasks, including national team preparations, youth development, and establishing competition, certification, training, and other systems, as well as market development and brand building — but she enjoys every bit of it.
The Country Garden Cup 2018, the ninth edition of the round-the-island regatta in Hainan, is currently underway. Basking in the sea breeze, Zhang Xiaodong recently sat down with reporters to discuss the Chinese Sailing Association’s development plans. She made it clear that winning a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is a priority, and promoting sailing among youth will also be a major focus moving forward.
As the silver medalist in women’s windsurfing at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and China’s first world champion in the sport, Zhang Xiaodong has valuable insight into Olympic preparation. While Chinese sailors have already won medals at the Olympics, the outlook for the Tokyo Games is not optimistic.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Chen Peina took home the silver in women’s windsurfing, while London Olympics champion Xu Lijia performed poorly in the women’s Laser Radial event. Currently, windsurfing is the only event where China has a legitimate shot at gold in Tokyo.
Since the Rio Olympics, Chen Peina has maintained excellent form, winning both last year’s World Championships and the Tianjin National Games.
According to Zhang Xiaodong, Chen Peina has been studying at Beijing Sport University since then and had very little recovery time. However, she still managed to finish third in the National Windsurfing Championships in March, proving she still has solid capability. “But whether she can compete in the Tokyo Olympics will depend on the selection process.”
Chen Peina is familiar with the sailing venue for the Tokyo Olympics, but in Zhang Xiaodong’s view, “Our sport really depends on the weather. Although the Japanese venue is suitable for light to moderate winds (which suits Chinese athletes), the Beijing Olympics were also said to have similar conditions, yet two days of strong winds still occurred. There’s always an element of unpredictability. Therefore, (to win gold) athletes must be in the top ranks — I believe the top 6 all have the potential to take the Olympic title.”
The Chinese team has just completed their winter training and will now compete in two World Cup events, with the athletes for the Asian Games to be selected by the end of April. “Our sport is a bit special – we don’t train continuously. Many athletes go through adjustment periods, and some may only peak during world championships. So this July’s World Championships in Denmark, which also serve as an Olympic qualifier, will ultimately test the level our team has achieved after the winter training and summer competitions.”
The Chinese Sailing Association has just formulated a four-year plan, including establishing a youth training system with a focus on youth sailing; setting up a national team management system to provide technological support, logistical services, and more; as well as club qualification assessments and training system development.
In Zhang Xiaodong’s eyes, youth development and mass participation are undoubtedly crucial, because “building a solid foundation among youth will encourage more families to get involved.” So how exactly can this be promoted? This year, the Chinese Sailing Association will launch the China International Sailing Tour, aimed at improving the treatment of professional athletes. While competing in official events, they can also participate in prize-money races. Top athletes may represent clubs, earning both salaries and competition rewards, while also allowing for reasonable athlete mobility to boost overall engagement. The tour is initially planned to have six levels, with the top 20–30 athletes in each event participating. The early stages will mainly feature Chinese sailors, while the finals will invite international elites. The first-year target is to hold 3–4 stops, eventually developing it into a well-established branded event.
Notably, the tour will include a “Family Sailing Race” and develop a boat type suitable for family competitions, gradually incorporating it into youth events. “Besides youth, public, professional, and high-end sailing, it would be great to have a boat type that whole families can enjoy together. This model has been trialed in branded events but hasn’t reached a significant scale yet. We’ll need to see the results and level of participation,” said Zhang Xiaodong.
“Bringing sailing into schools” is, of course, another means of promoting youth sailing. But in recent years, most sports have sought inclusion in schools, and sailing doesn’t have a competitive edge. On this front, Zhang Xiaodong hopes for support from education authorities. She admitted that the Chinese Sailing Association has communicated with them, hoping they recognize the impact the ocean can have on children.
Including youth events in influential competitions has yielded some results. In 2014, the China Cup Sailing Race introduced an OP demonstration event, which was upgraded to a Youth Open in 2015 and became an official China Cup event. In 2016, RS boat races were added alongside OP, along with a Family Race component, where young sailors could invite their parents or friends to compete, echoing the China Cup theme of “Sailing Together as a Family.” In 2017, the event expanded further and attracted elite sailors from various countries, evolving into an international high-level youth competition.
The ongoing Round-the-Island Regatta in Hainan naturally hasn’t overlooked attracting and nurturing youth sailors — an OP race was introduced for the first time in 2017, with 31 teams participating this year. At the “Little Sailors” Sailing Camp, 100 children each day get to learn sailing theory, practice maneuvers, and experience going out to sea. In addition, themed activities such as the 3D Fantasy Ocean Pavilion and VR Sailing Experience Hall have resonated widely with youth.
In China, there are still relatively few influential sailing events. The Haixia Race is one example, now in its ninth edition and known as “China’s premier offshore race.” After the Chinese Sailing Association became an independent entity, creating more branded events has become a key challenge. Zhang Xiaodong hopes that all future events will become traditional, government-supported, sustainable, and distinctive competitions — only then can they truly thrive.
In terms of mass participation, cities like Qingdao, Sanya, Nanjing, and Shenzhen are doing well, and there are roughly 200 sailing clubs nationwide. However, in Zhang Xiaodong’s view, the field still has great room for growth. “When people think of sailing, they often associate it with the ocean, but it can also be done on inland lakes — Nanjing is doing a great job in this regard.”
Zhang Xiaodong has a “small goal”: by the time the association holds its next election in late 2021, she aims to grow China’s sailing population (including enthusiasts and professional athletes) from around 60,000 to over 150,000, increase the number of sailing clubs from about 200 to more than 400, and make the organizational management of national member associations more independent, with more professional and comprehensive operations.