香港正式取得2019世界海岸賽艇錦標賽主辦權。
國際賽艇聮會在10月2日假美國佛羅裡達州（Florida）薩拉索塔-佈雷登頓（Sarasota –Bradenton） 舉行的2017週年大會上， 正式宣佈香港奪得2019世界海岸賽艇錦標賽的主辦權。
海岸賽艇活動主要是在海上進行， 風浪變化不定， 與一般在奧運會賽事中在靜水環境下所使用的艇隻非常不同。 海岸賽艇的艇身非常堅固， 艇隻尾部分開放， 可以讓流入艇隻的海水自然流出。
海岸賽艇是世界賽艇運動相對嶄新的項目。 首屆世界海岸賽艇賽早於10年前(2007年)在法國的坎城舉辦。 往後每年世界海岸賽艇錦標賽的主辦權都落在歐洲國家手中，
在2019年， 預計香港將會有來自世界各地約400名世界級的頂尖海岸賽艇手出席。 而賽事亦初步擬定於香港最標誌性的維多利亞海港舉行。 維港為比賽提供了獨特的大都會風景， 而比賽場地周邊的海岸線， 更會為賽事帶來嘉年華式的狂熱氣氛， 並能夠發揮鼓勵社區人士參與體育盛事的精神。
中國香港賽艇協會把世界海岸錦標賽帶到香港， 目標是向世界展示香港具備舉辦世界級體育賽事的條件和優勢， 並同時透過由此引起的不同節目以及相關連的社區活動， 大大提高市民參與投入賽艇運動。 賽協在籌辦大型賽艇比賽方面有豐富的經驗， 相信2019年的世界海岸錦標賽將會是另一個香港盛事！
主辦權現已確認， 而2019年11月亦預定為世錦賽的舉行日期， 賽協將密鑼緊鼓展開為期兩年的規劃和各項籌備工作。
HONG KONG TO WELCOME
WORLD ROWING COASTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2019
Hong Kong has been awarded the right to host the 2019 World Rowing Coastal Championships.
The decision was announced on Monday, 2nd October 2017 by World Rowing Federation (FISA) President Jean-Christophe Rolland at FISA's annual Congress, held in Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida at the end of a very successful 2017 World Rowing Championships.
Coastal rowing takes place in open water, often in rough conditions. The boats used are designed for these conditions making it quite different from Olympic style rowing which is racing in a straight line on flat water.
Coastal rowing is a relatively new element of world rowing, with the first World Rowing Coastal Championships being held just 10 years ago, in 2007 in Cannes, France. Since then, this annual competition has only been awarded once outside Europe, when it went to Lima, Peru in 2015. It has never been to Asia.
Hong Kong expects about 400 of the world's top coastal rowers to compete here in 2019. The preliminary plan is for the races to be held in the iconic Victoria Harbour, providing a unique city backdrop for the competition and for visiting rowers from around the world. A carnival atmosphere in the race village on the nearby shoreline will encourage community involvement in the spirit of the event.
The decision to bring these championships to Hong Kong was grasped by the Hong Kong, China Rowing Association who saw this as an opportunity to organise a world class sports event here but at the same time to generate significant awareness and participation in rowing locally, through preliminary programmes and associated community activities leading up to the event itself. The Association has extensive experience organising successful continental level rowing events but this will be a step up to organise its first World Championships.
With the award now confirmed, the Association will start the 2-year task of planning and preparation towards the anticipated event date is November 2019.