What significance ought to be accorded to Azzam's victory in the Volvo Ocean Race? At one level, it is arguably the greatest sporting success in the UAE's history. To have gained an unassailable lead – they cannot be caught barring a points deduction – with the ninth and final leg of the round-the-world race still ahead underscores the scale of the win.
But there is also far more to it than simply a sporting victory. As The National reports today, the conclusive win comes only a few years after a disastrous first attempt to compete in the race in 2011. Within a few hours of setting off on the first leg, steep waves and 30-knot gales caused the mast to break. Nobody was injured but Emirati team member Adil Khalid called it “the scariest moment of my life” and the team’s effort was in tatters. By the time the nine-leg race was over, Team Abu Dhabi had failed to finish two of the legs and had amassed barely half the points of the victor.
But through learning from such early missteps and by slowly and persistently honing the 11-person crew's abilities, skipper Ian Walker was able to turn things around. The consistency he sought has been reflected in podium finishes in seven out of the eight legs, with the third place overnight in Lorient, France, enough to secure provisional victory in the overall race.
Victory is also a testament to Khalid, who outperformed 120 other Emirati would-be team members to earn his place on Azzam in 2011. Walker had rated Khalid's chances of completing that first race at less than 50 per cent but he persisted, in doing so becoming the first Arab to have sailed around the world.
It doesn’t take much imagination to see what a fine example Team Abu Dhabi has set for the country: through skill, persistence, intelligence and adaptability, mighty goals can be turned into reality. This is the legacy for which this team ought to be truly proud.
