(Drop cap) The inaugural edition of the Indian Sailing League (ISL) from March 27 to 31 at Umiam Lake in Meghalaya is seen as a big boost to competitive sailing in India as the first-of-its-kind franchise-based league brought together 14 teams, 182 sailors and 58 international participants from eight countries.Organized by the Umiam Sailing Club in association with the UDAY Sailing Foundation under the aegis of the Meghalaya govt, the competition featured multiple Olympic and youth classes, including ILCA 7, ILCA 6, ILCA 4, Optimist and 420 mixed crew, enabling young, women and senior sailors to compete together in a team-based format.The league stood out for its innovative multi-format structure, which included fleet racing, team racing, marathon races, Portsmouth handicap races, equipment handicap races, transition races, rig-and-race challenges, officials’ races and quiz events. Final standings were decided on cumulative points across all formats.The event was inaugurated by Meghalaya CM Conrad K. Sangma, who said such sporting initiatives would help position the state as a major destination for tourism and international events.Former Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh (Retd), who is the president of Yachting Association of India (YAI), said the new league format made sailing more exciting and aligned with the YAI’s three-fold vision of strengthening grassroots sailing, improving medal prospects at the Asian Games and Olympics, and expanding public outreach for the sport. He said the league had successfully advanced all three goals by combining youth participation, high-performance competition and spectator appeal.In the final standings, Bhopal Tritons emerged champions, followed by AJ’s Vizag Vikings and Shillong Umiam Navigators (SUN). The debut of the Indian Sailing League is being seen as a big boost for the sport’s development ecosystem in India.
