Sailing will feature as a sport in the ever-growing AIMS Games from next year Yachting New Zealand regional support officer Hamish Hey has announced.

A proposal by Yachting New Zealand to feature fleet racing in Optimist dinghies in the popular Tauranga-based games from 2015 is accepted by the six trustees of what is now one of the largest sporting events in New Zealand.

AIMS Games will take to the water next year. Picture: John Adair

The Association of Middle and Intermediate Schools Games are held annually in Tauranga and gather together 7500 students aged 11-13 years from 228 schools to compete in 17 different sports.

Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club will act as the organising authority and play a key role in delivering the sailing event as part of the AIMS Games, says Hamish.

Sailors taking part in AIMS Games racings must be a member of a yacht club affiliated to the national body, and a Year 7 or 8 student.

Yachting New Zealand collaborated with a number of organisations including the AIMS Games Tournament Director, the NZ International Optimist Dinghy Association and the Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club to put together a comprehensive proposal to introduce sailing into the AIMS Games programme.

'We're absolutely delighted that sailing will be part of the AIMS Games starting in 2015,” says Yachting New Zealand's Chief Executive David Abercrombie.

'Tauranga is a proven breeding ground for sailing talent having produced the likes of Peter Burling, the Saunders siblings, and the Meech siblings to name a few. Therefore it's very fitting that sailing is added into the programme for this Bay of Plenty hosted event.”

'Being part of the AIMS Games will help to profile our sport to children aged 11-13 years, and their parents. We see it as a very positive thing and look forward to working together with the event organisers to make the sailing event a success.”