The international reputation of Qingdao as China's Capital of Sailing was promoted by 1,300 participants from 20 countries and regions participating in the 16-day Qingdao International Sailing Week, senior officials from the city said over the weekend.

With a rapid development of international cultural exchanges, sailing events, promotions of sports and related industries, the coastal city of Qingdao wants to inherit the Olympic spirit heritages to develop the city's marine economy and to promote international exchanges with the rest of the world.

"We got best wishes and new ideas from international sailing celebrities for the past fortnight," said Wang Xiulin, deputy mayor of Qingdao, during his closing remarks on Sunday night. “Athletes from all over the world came to Qingdao, presenting their great performances.”

"We are looking forward to our gathering in Qingdao again next August," Wang added.

Yao Xinpei, General Secretary of the Chinese Yachting Association (CYA), said the city's brand name, "China’s Capital of Sailing", has been further promoted as a series of major sailing events held since the 2008 Olympic sailing regatta.

The US-China Sailing Association presented a letter of intent to the Qingdao Municipal Organising Committee for Major International Sailing Events (Festivals) to express their strong interest in future exchanges. Two affiliated teams which participated in the "Mayor's Cup" sailing event collected an on-site cash donation of $5,000 to the youth sailing programme in Qingdao on the closing ceremony.

Forty-five international sailing celebrities attended the event, including Göran Petersson, president of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), and Li Quanhai, president of the Asian Sailing Federation (ASAF).

As a major activity of this year's sailing week, an exhibition of 515 pieces of cultural works on navigation was held in the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Museum, including 19 posters from previous Olympic Sailing Competitions.

By Li Xiaoqian China Daily Qingdao Bureau

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Clark Cahill