European Sailing Championship: With Kayali – Orphano Greece in the 49er with Vroutsis support

European Sailing Championship: With Kayali – Orphano Greece in the 49er with Vroutsis support

In the Vilamoura European Championship Olympian Pavlos Kayalis and Ioannis Orfanos are in the 49er category, representing our country among 92 entries from 28 countries. The countries of Europe will claim the unique ticket that will be given to that race for the Paris Olympic Games.

With the sailing races starting on Wednesday, November 8, the Greek champions have been in Portugal for a few days with coach Michalis Milios. Vilamoura is now considered a top sailing destination for preparing athletes before the Olympic games, with most countries using this championship as part of their internal process for athletes to join their Olympic teams.

Despite the lack of support from the Hellenic Sailing Federation and their announcement just a few days before the departure of the champions for the European championship that they will not even cover the basic expenses, the 49er team ensured their smooth participation in the biggest sporting event of Europe, since it is the only category in which we have a Greek presence in three Olympic categories. (49er, 49erFX NACRA17).

It is worth noting that after the lack of presence of the EIO, the Minister of Sports intervened Mr. Yannis Vroutsis ensuring the participation of our country in the European championship, which is deemed necessary for the smooth continuation of the qualification matches for Paris 2024, by practically supporting the effort of Olympian Pavlos Kayali and Ioannis Orfanos.

Learn more about the event: https://49er.org/events/2023-european-championship/