Malaysia dominated the podiums at last week's Eurasian Inclusive Cup on Krishnarajasagar Lake in Mysuru, India, but the real story was what happened before the racing even started.
The regatta, hosted by the Royal Mysore Sailing Club with support from the Yachting Association of India, ran directly on from World Sailing's three-day Inclusive Development Programme. Sailors moved straight from structured coaching into competitive racing across the Hansa 2.3, Hansa 303 and SV14 fleets, with coaching continuing on the water and through a dedicated WhatsApp group so sailors could review their racing and keep asking questions through the week.
Malaysia's Ayra Aulia Binti Mohd Noor Azman won the 16-boat Hansa 2.3 fleet, ahead of countryman Wan Muhammad Adli Bin Wan Mohd Razin. India's Naresh took third.
The Hansa 303 single-handed fleet also went to Malaysia, courtesy of Mustafa Bin Junell. Australia's Gregory Myers finished second, India's Manoj Kumar Singh third.
India fared better in the double-handed 303s. Mahaprabu A and Challa Venkata Nagesh won that fleet outright, ahead of fellow Indian pairing Mangali Koteswara Rao and Manish Bhati, with Malaysia's Muhammad Hasif Aiman Bin Ahmad Shukri and Mohd Shahdan Bin Mawat completing the podium.
Thailand's Tanat and Tammachat Sriopas claimed the ten-boat SV14 fleet, a class that added further variety to the equipment on show at the regatta. Malaysia's Ayra Aulia Binti Mohd Noor Azman and Mustafa Bin Junell were second, India's Karthikya and Aakash third.
Racing wasn't the only story on the lake.
World Sailing used the event to progress its Para classification research, with International Classifiers working alongside athletes throughout the week. Quantitative measurement equipment supplied with support from Cyclops Marine was trialled in the event environment, part of an ongoing effort to build a stronger, more objective evidence base for classification decisions.
Faculty and students from SRM University, Sri Ramaswamy Memorial University, added a clinical dimension to proceedings. They provided physiotherapy support to sailors, assisted directly with the classification research, and put together a series of seated exercise videos to help sailors prepare physically for competition.
The data and experience gathered in Mysuru will feed into the next stages of World Sailing's classification work, and into further academic collaboration down the line.
It was a week that fused development, competition and research, with coaches, classifiers and researchers working alongside the sailors rather than at arm's length.
It also marked another step forward for inclusive sailing in India specifically. The Royal Mysore Sailing Club continues to build on the vision set by the late Captain Arvind Sharma, backed by growing support from the Yachting Association of India. Indian sailors are now preparing to compete at the World Sailing Inclusion Championships in Portugal, a sign that the momentum generated through these development pathways is turning into real opportunity on the international stage.
