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Peninsula Omnimedia reporter Pan Lichao

The hot summer is gradually fading away, and the cool autumn breeze is blowing. The 2024 Shandong Port "Far East Cup" International Sailing Rally will arrive as scheduled, which will set off a new climax of Qingdao sailing at the turn of summer and autumn. The competition attracted more than 140 athletes from 7 countries including China, Russia, South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, and Indonesia to participate, and 8 fleets were formed. According to the plan, the participating fleet will set sail from Qingdao on August 25. The entire route will be from Qingdao, China-Vladivostok, Russia-Pohang, South Korea-Mokpo, South Korea-Qingdao, China, which will last for 26 days, and the closing ceremony will be held in Qingdao, China on September 20.

In recent days, the participating crew members have arrived at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center to report, and have learned the competition rules and marine life-saving knowledge from the chief referee of the event. On the launching ramp, they are seen arranging the racing boats, organizing the competition equipment, checking the boat equipment, and storing fresh water and food. In their spare time, the participating crew members also visited many attractions in Qingdao, tasted special beer and seafood, and fully appreciated the charm of the city of Qingdao.

On the evening of August 24, the opening ceremony and sailing ceremony of the 2024 Shandong Port "Far East Cup" International Sailing Rally was held at the Haier InterContinental Hotel. Zhao Shengcun, deputy mayor of Qingdao, Sun Lijie, former member of the Standing Committee of the Qingdao Municipal Party Committee and former director of the Publicity Department of the Municipal Party Committee, and chairman of the Qingdao Olympic Sailing City Development Promotion Association, Li Fengli, director and general manager of Shandong Port Group, Cai Quanji, director of the Qingdao Sports Bureau, Tan Peng, general manager of Qingdao Tourism Group, Zhu Yuetao, former director of the Economic Committee of the Qingdao CPPCC and vice president of the Qingdao Olympic Sailing City Development Promotion Association, Jiang Jing, former second-level inspector of the Qingdao Municipal Government Office and vice president of the Olympic Promotion Association, Zhang Min, director of the Qingdao Sports Development Center, the director of the Pohang City Ocean and Fisheries Bureau and the Pohang City Government delegation of South Korea attended the opening ceremony, and the participating athletes, coaches and news media attended the opening ceremony. The on-site leaders and guests presented flags to the eight teams, and the referees and athlete representatives spoke respectively.

Among the eight participating teams are the Russian Seven-Foot Club Sailing Team, which has won the "Far East Cup" International Sailing Rally for five consecutive times; the Russian Waltz Sailing Team and the Russian Moscow Sailing Team; the Qingdao Sailing Capital Guizhou Xinjiu Team, which is composed of retired sailors and coaches from the Shandong Sports Training Team; the Far East Cup International Women's Sailing Team, which is composed of Russian and Chinese female sailors and is also the first women's team to participate in the "Far East Cup" competition; the SailingIn Guangyuan Baiyang Team, which is composed of sailing enthusiasts and retired athletes from the United States, Indonesia and China; the Tianyuan Investment Jumping Sailing Team, which is composed of sailing enthusiasts and professionals; and the South Korean Pohang Sailing Team, which is jointly sponsored by the Pohang government and the famous Korean company Posco. They will conduct sailing exchanges in the next month.

It is understood that when the "Far East Cup" was founded in 2016, it was only a competition between Qingdao, China and Mokpo, South Korea. In 2018, the competition opened a round-trip route from Qingdao to Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. In the same year, it was included in the sailing sports section of the Russian Eastern Economic Forum and won the Best Event Organization Award. It was awarded by the heads of state of five countries, stood on the diplomatic stage of major powers, and began to usher in an unprecedented opportunity for leapfrog development. On June 1, 2023, Russia decided to open the port in Vladivostok to China. The two countries jointly developed the Far East and strengthened cooperation in strategic, economic, geopolitical, cultural, and resource aspects, which has become a concrete action of the strategic partnership between the two countries. After five consecutive upgrades, the event has cut through the waves and stood at the forefront, adding more international elements and fresh vitality to Qingdao's sailing industry. As an international transoceanic event brand created in Qingdao, the "Far East Cup" International Sailing Rally has come to its sixth session. It not only fills the gap of long-distance sailing rallies in the Asia-Pacific region, but also further deepens the comprehensive advantages of Qingdao's "Sailing Capital" city brand, demonstrates the unique charm of the Olympic Sailing City, and enhances Qingdao's international city image.

In recent years, the "Far East Cup" International Sailing Rally is Qingdao's own brand ocean-going sailing event, and it is also a successful practice of Qingdao's response to the "Belt and Road" international initiative. The purpose of the event is to strengthen sports and cultural exchanges in Northeast Asia through sailing and navigation, and to build a cooperation platform in the fields of sports, culture, tourism, economy and trade between China, Russia and South Korea. In this competition, the fleet will arrive in Russia after a long voyage, hold port activities in Vladivostok, and become part of the Russian Eastern Economic Forum held in early September to promote cultural exchanges between relevant countries and regions. The return route of this competition will add activities in Pohang Station in South Korea, participate in the "East Sea Cup" held by the Pohang Municipal Government in Pohang, South Korea, and make the "Far East Cup" field race a new highlight. A symposium on protecting the marine ecological environment will also be held in Mokpo, South Korea. It is expected to return to Qingdao around September 19 and hold a closing ceremony on September 20.

The 2024 Shandong Port "Far East Cup" International Sailing Rally is guided by the China Sailing Association, co-organized by Qingdao Major International Sailing Events (Festivals) Organizing Committee, Qingdao Sports Bureau, Shandong Port Group Co., Ltd., Qingdao Olympic Sailing City Development Promotion Association, Qingdao Tourism Group Co., Ltd., and co-organized by the Russian Sailing Association, the Russian Primorsky Social Organization Sailing Association, the Russian Far East Sailing Association, the Russian Seven-Foot Club, the Korean Sailing Federation, Pohang City, South Korea, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, Gyeongsangbuk-do Sailing Association, South Korea Daily News, Mokpo City, South Korea, South Korea Sehan University SRL Marine Leisure Specialty Business Group (Mokpo Marina Operation Business Group), Qingdao Heart Synchronous Culture and Sports Industry Co., Ltd., supported by Qingdao Sports Development Center, and undertaken by Qingdao Junshang Culture and Sports Development Co., Ltd.