World Sailing's support program has helped a record number of sailors to reach the Paris Olympics from countries where sailing is underrepresented.

Ebru Bolat, a Romanian women's sailing dinghy competitor said: "Our countries do not get much funding for sport in general. To get funding, you have to show results overseas."

On Tuesday, sailors from Angola and the British Virgin Islands were presented with prizes for their participation in the Games.

The sailors sang "Happy Birthday" to Deizy Naquile of Mozambique, who graduated from the program, in the area reserved for spectators of the Marseille Marina.

Bolat said that the Emerging Nations Programme helps him to compete with others who have a history, and thus funding.

Bolat is the first Romanian woman to be selected as a sailor for the Games. She has been dreaming of this since she was 14.

World Sailing (the sport's governing organization) set up the programme of support, utilizing the resources and expertise of the more developed countries and their own team, as part of efforts to increase participation and protect its Olympic presence.

The number of nations that we can get to the Olympic Games is a key test. David Graham, CEO of World Sailing told reporters that in Tokyo eight nations had been introduced to our program and now we've got 26.

Graham stated that World Sailing invested a large portion of the Olympic dividend in this programme. It runs it alongside another program aimed at specifically encouraging women.

Graham said, "The greatest challenge we face is that we are a sport based on equipment and the Olympic Movement has 10 different disciplines. So it's about what equipment we help in putting into," Graham continued.

The infrastructure surrounding it is perhaps more crucial. It's not enough to just throw a bunch of gear on the beach. We need a strong coaching infrastructure to ensure that we can provide the best possible service for our athletes," said Mr. He.

Graham stated that foiling, windsurfing, and kiteboarding are now two new sports for emerging nations sailors to achieve their Olympic dream.

The coaching provided and the boat that was supplied by the program were essential for Malaysian men’s dinghy sailors Khairulnizam Afendy who is competing in his fourth Olympics.

He said, "We're not a country that sails... but we do hope to see our country look at this sport more as we continue delivering." Reporting by Alexander Smith, Editing by Clare Fallon

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