The second preliminary regatta of the 37th America’s Cup It will not be in Sardinia, as the teams had planned a few months ago After his resignation, this will be held in Saudi Arabia, in Jeddah. The Arab city, which already applied to host the 37th Copa América (it competed with Cork, Málaga and Barcelona), quickly negotiated with Grant Dalton, CEO of AC37 Event, to host this second test prior to the 37th Copa América. , which will be in Barcelona in 2024, and it’s official: the regatta will take place from November 30 to December 3 of this year. It will be the only venue outside of Spain to host a Copa América regatta during the 37th Copa América cycle because the first preliminary regatta will be in Vilanova i la Geltrú from September 14 to 17.
The announcement came ‘just’ two days before the 37th America’s Cup Protocol deadline, which requires the publication of the venues and dates of the 2023 preliminary regattas no later than April 30. The AC40 one-design races of this second preliminary race will be held in front of the Race Village and the Jeddah Yacht Club, next to the Jeddah Corniche F1 circuit. The event will be held in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and the Saudi Sailing Federation, who have high ambitions to fuel the rapid growth of sailing in Saudi Arabia through numerous high-level sailing events and classes, as part of their ‘Vision 2030’. “When you step back and look at the opportunity for the growth of our sport that exists in the region, you can see that it is really significant. 67% of the country’s population is under 34 years of age, and women’s participation in sport or physical activity has increased by 149% in recent years. So we have a unique opportunity to grow sailing and create new connections to the unprecedented sustainability projects that exist in the Red Sea and that can transform lives through sailing and related technologies,” said Grant Dalton. .
The America’s Cup is constantly looking for a market to expand and one of the keys to opting for Jeddah was that the world audience for the America’s Cup tripled after the 36th edition and having a tangible presence in the Middle East with a completely new audience. . “This is one of the fastest growing sports markets in the world and has a maritime legacy about to be rekindled for all Saudi men and women,” explained Samia Baghdady, CEO of the Saudi Sailing Federation. “Sailing is in its infancy at the moment, but the potential is huge as nine million people live on the Red Sea coast and sailing conditions are fantastic all year round. The America’s Cup and the exciting AC40 class foil boats that will sail with the world’s best sailors on board are the perfect catalyst to inspire our people to go sailing and expand access to the Red Sea., which has always been an important part of Saudi Arabia’s history and heritage and is an integral part of its sustainable future. We want to bring the joy and excitement of sailing to Saudis young and old, and to one day see an Olympic, or Ocean Race, or America’s Cup champion from our country,” he added.
This second preliminary regatta in Jeddah will be the last of the cycle of the 37th America’s Cup in 2023 because after that all efforts will be placed on finishing the AC75, with which the regattas will be held in 2024. “It may not sound like much, but no team wants to arrive in 2024, the year of the Copa América, at the bottom of the table or having shown vulnerability in their crew less than a year before the start of the Copa América.. It’s a pressure that nobody needs, especially considering that the next competition will be just before the Challenger Selection Series, in the last preliminary regatta to be held in Barcelona aboard the AC75″, concluded Grant Dalton.