Liu Qi, President of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG), pressed a boat siren to open the 2006 Qingdao International Regatta here on Sunday.

During the opening ceremony, teams from 41 countries and regions walked in turns onto the stage inside a tent temporarily established for the regatta.

Qingdao, a port city in east China's Shandong province, will be the venue for the sailing competition for the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2008 Paralymic Games.

The regatta, the first test event for the sailing events of the 2008 Olympic Games, runs from August 21 to 31 and features 11 events of nine classes.