Abu Dhabi’s Al Muna Primary School received a special visit from two of Greece’s most experienced and decorated sailors.
Between them, Sofia Bekatorou and Konstantinos Trigonis have two Olympic medals (gold and bronze) in their seven Olympic appearances and 11 world championship medals.
The pair spoke to students aged between five and nine about their careers with the aim of promoting sailing in the UAE.
“If I can be responsible for making kids go to the sailing club and try the sport then I will feel happy,” said Bekatorou, who participated in the ISAF Sailing World Cup Finals in Abu Dhabi.
She told the students: “The principle is, you start having a dream, you see something and you feel you want to achieve it. You need to use the chances you get in life and create chances for yourself in order to follow your dream.”
Some also tried their hand at sailing at the Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club with some experienced sailors, including Olympic gold medallist Mathew Belcher.
John Craig, head of ISAF World Cup, said: “The primary goal of the Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club is to increase local participation in sailing within Abu Dhabi.
With a long term agreement between ISAF and Abu Dhabi to host the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final we hope to inspire many more youngsters.”