Sai: Sailors jet into Beijing for opening ceremony

AAP General News (Australia)
08-07-2008
Sai: Sailors jet into Beijing for opening ceremony

By Simon Mossman

QINGDAO, Aug 7 AAP - They might be hundreds of kilometres from Beijing but several
of Australia's sailors are determined not to miss out on the Olympic opening ceremony
experience.

Ten members of the 17-strong sailing squad, including six Games debutants, will tomorrow
fly to the Chinese capital to join Australian teammates marching in the opening ceremony.

Women's 470 sailor Tessa Parkinson said she and crewmate Elise Rechichi decided only
at the last minute to take part in the opening.

"It's going to be very exciting going up to Beijing and it will be a nice distraction
from all the hard training we've been doing the past few weeks," Parkinson told AAP today.

"I don't think the nerves have kicked in yet but we are looking forward to getting
up there and having some fun before we start our competition.

"We just wish racing could start, we're itching to get out and get going. We've been
doing a lot of training for it."

Dual Laser world champion and world No.1 Tom Slingsby, who is also making his Olympics
debut, said he expected the opening ceremony would help fire him up ahead of his opening
races on Tuesday.

"I cannot wait to get up there, I think it will spark me and get me going. We've been
waiting a long time for this but it's getting close though," Slingsby said.

"It will be a great experience to be part of the opening ceremony."

Other team members flying up include first-time Olympians Iain Murray and Andrew Palfrey
(Star), and Glenn Ashby (Tornado), along with veteran campaigners Malcolm Page and Nathan
Wilmot (470m), Jessica Crisp (RS:X) and Ashby's crewmate Darren Bundock, a silver medallist
from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The Olympic sailing regatta starts on Saturday with the first opening races for the
Yngling and Finn classes, followed by the 49er skiff class on Sunday.

AAP sjm/nh

KEYWORD: OLY08 SAI AUST OPEN

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