Qingdao Yinhai Yachtsman Training Center, China's biggest one of its kind and also supporting project of 2008 Olympic sailing events, went into service here Tuesday as its first-phase project sloping path was put into use.

About a hundred sailors from France, Austria and New Zealand preparing for the 2008 Olympic Games had arrived in Qingdao several days earlier and begun to take intensive trainings in the center.

The center will not only undertake to train professional yachtsmen for the 2008 Olympic Games, but also offer training to sailing fans, according to Xin Hualong, manager of the center.

Qingdao, a major port city in Eastern China's Shandong Province, will host the sailing competition during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and more than 400 assistant yachtsmen will be needed in 2008.

The training center, which costs 300 million yuan (36.2 million US dollars), is equipped with the most luxury facilities, including docks, berths, sailing training base, gas station at sea and lifesaving helicopters. It is able to offer training to 1,000 to 1,600 people each year.

More than fifty yachts of world famous brands now had anchored here and the center would endeavor to provide high quality services and accelerate the second-phase constructions work, said Xin.

And Shandong provincial bureau of maritime safety had supportively issued a provincial regulation on yachtsman training, test, evaluation and certificate awarding five months ago, which provide a clear guidance for yachtsman training.

Qingdao, believed to be the birthplace of sailing events in China, sees sailing sports becoming prosperous in recent years because of the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games.

Source: Xinhua