October 30, 2025
2 minutes reading time
World Sailing delivers National Race Officer and Judge Clinics across five nations
World Sailing recently supported a series of introductory education, hosting National Race Officer development courses in Morocco, Belize and Jordan, as well as a Judges Clinic in Fiji, and both a Race Officer course and Judges Clinic in Uruguay.
All courses held across September and October were funded by World Sailing aiming to enhance officiating standards and technical expertise to all regions.
In Tangier, Morocco, 16 participants (one female, 15 male) gathered at the Royal Yacht Club de Tanger on 27-28 September for a Level 1 Race Officer course delivered by local International Race Officer El Ferdaoussi Mohamed Redda.
Redda praised the course material’s logical organisation, which followed a regatta timeline – before, during, and after the race. He said, “The practical exercises really helped keep the participants engaged and wanting to learn more, and the Pop quiz section was a fun way to break the flow. The fact that I know the participants personally really helped me deliver the course in the best conditions, as I knew exactly the level of knowledge of each participant.”
Simultaneously, on 27-28 September, Belize held its Level 1 course at the Nett Pitts Olympic House. The course attracted nine participants (three female and six male). Race Officer Developer Miguel Amaral reported positive feedback, stating, “Overall the course went well, and participants were happy and thankful for being able to have this opportunity.”
A Level 1 course was held in Aqaba, Jordan, on 18-19 October, drawing 14 attendees (six female, eight male). This event marked a significant milestone as the Race Management Level 1 course was delivered in Arabic for the first time in Jordan.
Race Officer Developer, Hocine Lali hailed the course as a success. He said, “The Race Management Level 1 course was a success regarding the involvement of the attendees to learn even if they haven’t got a background in sailing and the engagement of the federation to follow the progress of all attendees by providing all necessary materials.”
At the Yacht Club Uruguayo in Montevideo, Uruguay, a Judge Clinic, gave introductory judging knowledge to 15 participants. This was quickly followed by a Race Officer Level 2 course was conducted from 17-19 October for nine male participants. This advanced course was overseen by RO Developers Becky Ashburn and Jorge Barreda.
In Fiji, during the 2025 Fiji National Championships, the Fiji Yachting Association (FYA) hosted the World Sailing Judges Clinic at the Savusavu Sailing & Yacht Club from 10-12 October. In total there were 16 participants (eight male and eight female) who all came away from the clinic with increased confidence in their understanding and ability, improved capacity to assist developing sailors, and experience at the event proved effective at reinforcing classroom lessons.
Further National Race Officer Training Programmes are planned for the US Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Senegal and Colombia before the end of the year.
World Sailing encourages any Member National Authorities interested in organising a training and development course to submit an application. Please contact raceofficials@sailing.org for more information.
Featured image courtesy of Stu & Malia Johnson.