– Everything has its time, says King Harald to news’s ”The year with the royal family”. He can look back on a sports career that has lasted longer than most, with countless competitions and major international championships. – Now I am 85 years old, now it will last, says the king with a smile – a few months before he turns 86 in February. “Age is no obstacle” seemed to be the motto for a long time. At the end of July this year – when he was 85 and a half years old – the king took part in the World Championships for 8 meters in Geneva, Switzerland. – It was very nice. It was fun to be involved again. But that was probably the last time, says King Harald about this summer’s WC participation now. – I was horrified to think about what the King was in training for before the WC in addition to carrying out his duties and assignments as Norway’s king. An operation on the leg a year and a half before the championship was not an obstacle to the king’s World Cup participation either. Now, however, King Harald acknowledges that it has become more difficult to sail in recent years. – With crutches and the like, it’s not so easy to get around the boat. So it’s not so easy to get around anymore, he says. – So this is a warning that the king is giving up? – Yes, I will perhaps sail in Norway – if there is someone who needs someone to train against, I will help with that. But I doubt that I will travel abroad any more, says King Harald. – Then I take the sports question: What does the king feel now? – Haha! King Harald bursts into spontaneous laughter. – No, it was, then… I really dreaded thinking about it, but once I had made up my mind, it actually went well. And it’s going to be fine. The king has no doubts about what he will miss the most. – The camaraderie. Both on board my own boat, but also competitors and friends you have met on your way abroad. It is mostly the same people who travel around. King Harald thrives very well at sea and in the sailing environment, and there was nothing to say about the mood in Geneva. Photo: Trond Reidar Teigen / NTB Being hailed internationally: – A lighthouse and a gentleman In this year’s WC, King Harald, who was captain on board the boat “Sira”, and his crew came in 10th place after a strong sprint. – No, we don’t talk much about how it went, he says and laughs. Just like that: After what now turns out to have been his very last international championship, he was hailed as a very good and tough sailor – a fierce competitor with a strong competitive instinct who garners great recognition. The president of the International Association for 8-meter yachts, Werner Deuring, describes King Harald as a beacon in the sailing community. Werner Duering of the International Association for 8-meters says it is a great loss that King Harald is now giving up. Photo: Henrik Myhr Nielsen / news – I’m sorry that the king is leaving. It is a great loss. For the 8-metre class, he has been a beacon, enthusiastic and supportive. He is king, but is also a gentleman both on land and at sea. The king informed the sailing president himself of the decision when they were in Switzerland, says Deuring: That the WC in Switzerland was the king’s last international regatta, and that he was not going to bet against next year’s WC in Genoa in Italy. – I asked the king to change his mind. He has said several times that this was the last regatta, but he has always returned with the crew on “Sira”. But this time I notice that he means it, and that is understandable given the health problems he has had, says Deuring to news. – I will still continue to try to persuade him to come to Genoa. I want to do that until the WC is over, he adds with a smile. Deuring himself participated in the WC in Switzerland and competed against King Harald there. – I want to pay tribute to him for a great career spanning several decades. He is a tough competitor and a very good sailor. I admire him for his stamina, especially in recent years, says Deuring. The Crown Prince: – Hopes he will sail more Despite the fact that the King has now announced that he will stop international competitive sailing, Crown Prince Haakon hopes that his father will still spend time in the sailboat. – I hope that he will sail more. It has been an incredibly important part of his life. He has achieved an incredible amount on the regatta course and has had an impressive sporting career. And then he gets a lot out of sailing. So I hope he sails a little further too, says Crown Prince Haakon to news. – He is always incredibly happy when he has sailed. He is very fond of both his sailing friends and the whole environment around it, and also being outside, says Crown Princess Mette-Marit. King Harald and his crew in “Sira” finished third in their class in the World Cup in sailing for 8-meters in Germany in 2018. Photo: FELIX KASTLE / DPA / NTB The king at sea There is no denying that King Harald thrives in a boat doubt about. When granddaughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s 18th birthday was celebrated with a magnificent gala dinner at the Palace in June, the king gave clear advice to the jubilant: – Don’t forget to play! At least I have good experience with that. As you know, I play most and best at the lake. And fortunately you are happy there too, said the king. King Harald has been an active sailor almost his entire life. He received his first own boat as a gift from his grandfather King Haakon in 1948. Since then he has been at the helm in countless regattas and was only ten years old when he competed as a crew for the first time, according to Kongehuset.no. King Harald started sailing early. Here he is with his mother, Crown Princess Märtha, in the summer of 1939, when the little prince was two and a half years old. Photo: NTB WC victory is the highlight The king himself singles out a highlight in a long and eventful career on the international sailing arena: When he and his crew became world champions with the one-tonner “Fram X” in Kiel in 1987. The then Crown Prince Harald was the flag bearer for Norway during Olympics in Tokyo in 1964. Photo: NTB In addition to the World Cup victory, King Harald has also won the EC and has participated in the Olympics three times. Kongen is honorary president of the International Sailing Federation and also of the International Federation for 8-meters. According to the website of the International 8-metre Federation, it is the highest award that can be given to someone who has made a special contribution to the sport. There, the king is described as “undoubtedly the most experienced 8-metre sailor in the world”. “Over 80 years ago, in 1939, his father King Olav took him on board the 8-metre “Sira”, and that was the start of a lifelong, deep passion for sailing and for the sea,” writes the association, describing King Harald as a highly recognized and competitive sailor.
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