What, where, when, who… Looks like World Sailing, completely overwhelmed by the Rio Olympics has lost contact with the sport reality. This Sailing World Cup needs to be completely rewritten. Andy Hunt, if you really don’t how to come up with something better than this, please feel free to contact us, we will help you.
What is wrong in the proposed “non World Cup”? First of all majority of sailors are not loaded with money, so very few of them, in reality not eve one, will committ and take part in all the requested events. They simply do not have the budget.
You can read below the press release sent by World Sailing yesterday.
Over its nine-year history, the Sailing World Cup has provided the foundations for the road to an Olympic and Paralympic Games, offering a glimpse of what will happen at the grandest stage in the sport.
The Sailing World Cup Series will continue to showcase and develop Olympic Sailing, it will be a key part of a sailor’s Olympic campaign, integrate Para World Sailing, help create heroes and engage sailing sports fans, excite sponsors and broadcasters and conclude with a Final at which the winners in each event are crowned.
As part of the strategy, Miami, an existing and popular Sailing World Cup Round has been awarded a series Round each January from 2017 through to 2020.
Miami will host the first Round of the upcoming 2017 series which will be shortened to allow a switchover to a new calendar. Hyeres, France will follow in April before a European Final in late June / early July. Sailors attending the 2016 Sailing World Cup Final in Melbourne, Australia will automatically qualify for the 2017 series with the remaining places awarded based on the World Sailing Rankings.
After the shortened 2017 series, the Sailing World Cup series will run from October to July every year, incorporating three Rounds and a European Final at the end of June / early July. For sailors to qualify for the Final, they will have to commit to the full series.
World Sailing CEO Andy Hunt commented, “After Rio 2016, a clear vision is required for the Sailing World Cup to capitalise on the success of one of the most thrilling Olympic Sailing Competitions in recent history.
World Sailing are now inviting Host Cities in Europe to bid for the Sailing World Cup Series Final in 2017 -2019”.