Halifax has been awarded another World Championship! This time it’s for the sport of sailing.

The International Federation of Disabled Sailing (IFDS) has awarded its 2014 World Championships to the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron (RNSYS) in Halifax. The event is designated a pre-qualifier for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. In making the announcement today at the RNSYS, Canadian Yachting Association president Gerry Giffin said the IFDS Worlds will be great for the sport of sailing and for disabled athletes.

"Last year’s Laser World championships in Nova Scotia showed the sport of sailing is for any age. These World championships will show that our sport is for any ability," he said. "Sailing really is one of the most inclusive sports."

RNSYS Commodore Mat Murphy said the 2014 IFDS Worlds will further position the club as a top sail training centre in the country.

"This is about growth, about our sport, about our Sail Able program," said Murphy. "To host the Worlds in 2014 will provide a lot of encouragement and incentive to the athletes in our Sail Able program."

The successful Canadian bid was facilitated by Events Nova Scotia, which produced the winning bid document.

"Nova Scotia is a leader in ocean related events. We’re happy that we could help the Squadron win this bid," said Grant MacDonald, Director, Major Events and Community Partnerships. "We look forward to welcoming the participants from all over the world and showing them why Nova Scotia is a world class destination for major events."

With four years to plan for the event, Murphy said he is confident the Squadron will host the best and most successful IFDS championship.

"The Squadron has a deep history in the sport," said Murphy. "This year we hosted the J-24 Canadians, next year the J-24 North Americans, and of course we do the Marblehead and Route Halifax-Saint Pierre ocean races. So this may be our first official Worlds, but we do host world-class events."

The IFDS World championship will use the same class of boats as approved for the Paralympics, which this year are the 2,4 Meter (one crew), the Skud 18 (two crew) and the Sonar (three crew). All boats are adapted to the disability of their own crews to ensure fair competition on the water.

"Whatever the classes," said Heather Robertson, chair of the 2014 IFDS World Championship, "we can expect athletes from more than 30 countries and we will likely have about 150 boats. This is an exciting event for our club, for our sport, for our province."

See the website from the IFDS 2010 worlds for further information ifdsworlds2010.com

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