The 2008 Beijing Olympic sailing tournament opened here on Saturday.

The opening featured the first race of Finn and Yngling classes, which started at 13:24 and 13:34 respectively, both 24 minutes later than the scheduled time.

A total of 26 boats from Finn class and 15 boats from Yngling class joined the competitions with a wind speed of 6.5 knots and 6 knots respectively.

Zhang Peng, 27, is representing China in the Finn class, while Song Xiaqun, Yu Yanli, and Li Xiaoni are racing in the Yngling class. In the 2006 and 2007 Qingdao International Regattas, the girls finished third and sixth respectively.

In Finn class, 25 Finn sailors are trying to prove that the British double-gold medalist Ben Ainslie is beatable. Spain's Rafa Trujillo, silver medalist in Athens, is looking for another medal for his collection

Among the medal favorites in Yngling class are British Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb crewed on the winning Yngling in Athens, along with their teammate Pippa Wilson.

The Olympic sailing regatta will run from Aug. 9 to 23, with two reserved days.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2008)