Team Oman Sail Begins Training for SSL Gold Cup in Switzerland
Oman Sail’s national sailing team has officially kicked off their preparations for the Star Sailors League (SSL) Gold Cup Circuit 2025-2026 with an intensive training camp in Grandson, Switzerland, located along the scenic Lac de Neuchâtel. The team is slated to train alongside squads from nations such as Greece and Switzerland, as they build momentum heading into the Asian Qualifiers in December 2025, ahead of the finals scheduled for July 2026.
The Omani team roster consists of ten sailors, led by skipper Nasser al Mashari. He is joined by Ali al Balushi, Yasser al Rahbi, Raed al Hadi, Haitham al Wahaibi, Akram al Wahaibi, Hussain al Jabri, and Abdulrahman al Mashari, along with two female athletes from Oman’s women’s sailing team—Ibtisam al Salmi and Marwa al Khaifi—highlighting gender diversity within the national squad.
The training camp, which runs from September 1 to 10, employs the use of SSL47 yachts, identical one-design boats used in the competition. The sailors are undergoing a range of technical drills and tactical exercises, essential for mastering the windward-leeward courses featured in SSL races. The event, which has drawn teams from 60 nations, includes regional powerhouses such as SSL Australia, SSL Ecuador, SSL Colombia, and SSL United Arab Emirates. These camps form part of the selection process, as only 40 nations will ultimately advance to the SSL Gold Cup finals.
“Building the international presence of Oman Sail’s team reflects the organisation’s commitment to promoting the Sultanate of Oman on the global stage by participating in major sporting events. The event also has the potential to empower Omani youth and inspire further development of their skills in sailing to compete at the highest levels. We are delighted to join so many sailing nations in the Star Sailors League Gold Cup and have the opportunity to highlight Oman’s rich maritime heritage and showcase our nation in the international sporting arena.” — Abdulaziz al Shidi, Acting Director of Sailing at Oman Sail.
The Star Sailors League Gold Cup is a prestigious biennial international regatta where countries—not individual sailors—compete for national glory in a format that has been dubbed the “Football World Cup in Sailing”. The races are conducted in groups of four teams on short inshore courses, ensuring intense action and spectator-friendly viewing.
The first edition of the tournament concluded on 3 December 2023 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with Hungary claiming victory and securing their title as the first-ever world champion sailing nation.
Team V.DIR-EM-UAE
