SailGP Full Race Schedule Announced
SailGP announced their full race schedule for this year, which is set to feature eight international teams taking part in eight events across three continents, including one in Bermuda in April of this year.
The SailGP website said, “The schedule represents an expansion from five events in the league’s inaugural season [2019], and will kick off in Bermuda in less than 100 days, making stops in a total of seven first-time venues across five countries.
“In addition to Bermuda [April 24-25] and previously announced new host cities Taranto [ITA, June 5-6], Plymouth [GBR, July 17-18], Aarhus [DEN, August 20-21], Saint-Tropez [FRA, September 11-12] and Cadiz [ESP, October 9-10], SailGP will also make its first visit to Christchurch for New Zealand’s maiden grand prix on January 29-30, 2022.
“The season will culminate with the Grand Final in San Francisco on March 26-27, 2022, when the champion will be determined in a single $1 million winner-takes-all final.
“SailGP’s second season will feature Tom Slingsby’s reigning champion Australian team, along with crews from Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United States. Denmark and Spain will be embarking on their first full SailGP seasons after the 2020 campaign was suspended, while New Zealand will be making its league debut led by Olympic champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke.
“In addition, Sir Ben Ainslie will be racing his first full season at the helm of the British entry, while Jimmy Spithill will be piloting a new-look U.S. team for the first time.
“Beyond entertaining fans around the world, SailGP will leverage its global platform to champion a better world powered by nature, with a focus on accelerating a transition to clean energy. As part of its Race for the Future purpose-driven agenda, the league will also begin training female athletes within each of the eight sailing teams, and will be using its community-engagement arm – SailGP Inspire – to introduce youth from diverse backgrounds to the sport and wider marine industry.
“In its first season, SailGP had a worldwide broadcast audience of 256 million across five events, and expects to see that number grow significantly with the increase to eight stops.
“Broadcast partnerships for Season 2 are already in place in more than 100 territories, including Australia [Fox Sports], Denmark [TV 2 Sport], France [Canal+ Sport], Japan [DAZN], New Zealand [Sky Sport], Spain [TVE and TV3], UK/Ireland [SKY Sports] and the U.S. [CBS Sports].”
SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts said: “There’s rarely been a time in my lifelong sailing career when I’ve been as enthusiastic as I am about our upcoming season.
“In just over three months, we’ll have the world’s best sailors lining up in equally matched boats for what is shaping up to be some of the sport’s most competitive racing yet. I can’t think of a better way for SailGP to reemerge, and I believe our fans will be taking notice not only of our thrilling racing, but of the new standards we’ll be setting in running our events in a sustainable and inclusive way.”
