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ISAF Events Manager Alastair Fox was in Perth last week conducting a review of the progress of the World Championships and said that the committed and enthusiastic team is ahead of schedule in terms of planning and preparation. Combined with hard work and the evidence of strong support from government and the commercial sector, he said that Perth 2011 was on course to be 'a huge success'!

"To see the enthusiasm and commitment from all the Perth staff members and having met some of the town planners, the commitment from them is transparent," he said. "Perth 2011 has a great group of people moving this forward. I am really looking forward to being here in December 2011 and I think the sailors are going to have a great Regatta."

Perth 2011 Event Director John Longley agreed and said that the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships are not going to be 'just another event'.

"We're going to raise the bar for all sailing events that follow! We are planning to make this a world-class, international event that all those to follow are judged by," explained Longley.

Longley held extensive meetings with Fox during his time in Western Australia, in relation to the progression of crucial issues including race courses, race management, the volunteer programme and the Event Village formation.

When asked whether he thought the Perth 2011 team was on target in terms of delivering a high quality World Championships, Fox said: "I am more than happy [with the progress] to be honest."

This week, Perth 2011 and ISAF announced the dates of the Perth International Regatta (the main test event for the World Championships), which are 16 to 21 November, 2010.

"Test events are essential," explained Fox. "The Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships is [ISAF's] pinnacle event and it is an Olympic qualifying event. It is important that we make sure that everything from race management to logistics, to sports presentation are covered, tested and that we can really get the best out of them for 2011."

"When you consider that there are only 38 weeks until the Perth International Regatta, commitment and a professional approach will really help us accelerate the planning and preparation for the World Championships," he added.

The Dream Begins In Perth! - www.perth2011.com

Find out more about the ISAF Sailing World Championships at www.sailing.org/isafworlds.