The eighteen global ambassadors for China's Qingdao will be together in the UK for the first and only time for an intensive four-week training course as they prepare to take part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, the world's longest ocean challenge.
The ambassadors were selected following a nationwide search by Qingdao Sailing Association to find the next Qingdao ambassador crew to represent China in the 2015-16 edition of the world famous sailing race.
The ambassadors will each complete a leg of the 40,000 nautical mile race. The 2015-16 edition will mark the sixth time that Qingdao, which is also a Host Port in the race, has entered a team in the world famous biennial event, making the city the event's longest standing Team Sponsor
Over the past six Clipper Race editions, Qingdao Sailing Association, working with Qingdao Major International Sailing Events Organizing Committee, Qingdao Administration Center of Sailing Sport, Qingdao Tourism Group and Qingdao International Marine Club, has offered crew bursary positions which allow Chinese citizens to compete as crew members in the Clipper Race.
Qingdao's decision to sponsor an entry in the Clipper Race since 2005 is to build its legacy following hosting the sailing in the Beijing Olympics as China's "Sailing City" and to promote tourism and trade from around the world.
