THE World Extreme Sailing Series, one of the four international sailing events held by the International Sailing Federation, will be held in Qingdao from tomorrow to Sunday at the city’s International Sailing Center.

    A total of 44 competitors will represent 11 crews from 15 countries, including winners of Olympic gold medals and other international sailing competitions. The crews will compete in six races a day during the five-day series.

    Five of the competitors had participated in the Olympic Sailing Competition held in Qingdao in 2008 and are now eyeing the gold medal that they missed that year.

    Austrian double Olympic gold medal winning duo, Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher, will represent the Red Bull team and Hagara is the captain.

    Beginning in 2007, the Extreme Sailing Series is an international inshore racing circuit bringing together the best skippers on the planet competing with each other in state-of-the-art, 12-meter catamarans.

    In addition to Qingdao, this year’s series will be held in other eight cities — Muscat in Oman, Istanbul in Turkey, Boston in the United States, Cowes in Britain, Trapani in Italy, Nice in France, Almeria in Spain and Singapore.

    Qingdao has hosted the most international sailing regattas in all of Asia, including the Olympics, the Koribo Global Sailing Competition and the Volvo Ocean Race.

    (Jane Lai, Sun Fei)