Obituary - Jorge Zarif Neto 1957-2008

On Wednesday 12 March Brazil lost one of its best sailors. Olympic sailor Jorge Zarif Neto passed away after a heart attack while training at the gym. He was just 50 years old.

Jorge was a long time Finn sailor finishing 8^th at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and then competing in the Finn again in 1988 in Pusan. He also won the Brazilian Championship nine times in a Finn sailing career spanning three decades. Despite his age he competed in and challenged for the Brazilian Finn selection trials last month for the 2008 Olympics. He had also sailed Stars, Lasers and Solings.

A native of São Paulo, Jorge was often a controversial figure but was a dedicated father and leaves a daughter Fernanda and a son, Jorge Joao, who is already following in his father’s footsteps in the Finn. Just last Saturday Jorge Joao won a place in the Brazilian team for the Youth Worlds in Denmark. In the Olympic qualifiers, helped by his father, Jorge Joao was runner-up.

The Finn class has lost a great friend, an enthusiastic sailor and supporter of the class.

The International Finn Association sends its sincere sympathies to his family and friends.

Bruno Caruso, the Brazillian Finn secretary also sent this message in