IODA Asian Championship in Shanghai.
Entry is restricted to five sailors per nation, except for the host country.
For the second year running the individual event was won by a girl. The championship opened with team-racing, won by the hosts. In the individual event Shen Xiaoying, who had been first girl in 1996, improved to beat Jiang Linhua, the outright winner in that year, without needing to sail the final race. This is the second year that a girl has won the Asians following the historic win of Shiori Kondou in 1997. Winds varied from 6 to 21 knots.