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14:45 Saturday 6 Aug 2016 Sue Pelling/AAMCWRio fever hits Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week

Tom Gruitt/pwpictures.com

In celebration of the start of the Games in Rio, the carnival spirit on the opening day at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week is in full flow. Thankfully the weather, with sparkling sunshine all day, couldn’t have been more befitting for the samba bands and carnival dancers that are making their way through town entertaining the thousands of visitors to the island.

With just a few weeks to go to the start of the Paralympics it’s a delight to see some of the sailing team, including Hannah Stodel, John Robertson and Steve Thomas, racing here at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week (pictured above), to show their support for Team GBR currently competing in Rio.

There are also many members of Team GBR not competing at the Games this time, including John Gimson (Nacra 17), and Megan Pascoe (2.4M), and a selection of former Olympians such as Ossie Stewart (bronze medallist in the Soling, Barcelona Games), Jo Richards (bronze medallist in the FD, Los Angeles), and Stuart Bithell (silver medallist in the 470, London 2012).

Just before she launched today, Hannah Stodel, who is flying out with Paralympic Team GBR on 29 August, said she wanted to show support to the team currently in Rio awaiting their first race: “I just want to tell them to have the best time. They have done all the hard work, so just go and do it. And by the way, don’t forget to come back and pass on your top tips to me!”

Commenting on her decision to compete at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, just a few weeks before the Games, Stodel said: “We see it as a golden opportunity. It is important to take every chance we have to race. Interestingly, there are 14 Sonars entered here, which is the exact number at the Paralympics, so we couldn’t ask for better training.”

Stodal and team are the only Olympians heading to Rio racing here this week, and they have an extra team member on board – Adam Greaves. “Because this is an non Olympic event he is allowed to sail with us. He is one of our training crew who normally races our spare boat against us.”

Cowes Corinthian YC, located in pleasant, relaxing surroundings off Birmingham Road, seems to have become ‘home’ of the Paralympic team. It is also home club of Paralympic gold medallist in the Sonar class, Andy Cassell.

Stodal concluded: “It is quite a cool club and they really support us and let us train here. We were even able to film our top secret Paralympic video here, which is coming out on 19 August and well worth watching out for.”