Australia's sporting capital to host 2016 Sailing World Cup Final
by Daniel Smith, World Sailing 29 Apr 2016 12:55 BST
4-11 December 2016
Sunset over St Kilda Pier © Sport the library / Jeff Crow
Australia's sporting capital, Melbourne, is to host the 2016 Sailing World Cup Final from 4-11 December out of the St Kilda Sailing Precinct.
The Sailing World Cup Final will bring together the world's best sailors in the aftermath of the Rio 2016 Sailing Competitions as they seek to end the year on a high heading into the Tokyo 2020 quadrennial.
With a grandstand for sailing like no other, the Sailing World Cup Final in St Kilda Sailing Precinct, made out of the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron (RMYS), St Kilda Baths, St Kilda Beach and Catani Gardens, will put the sport front and centre of the public.
Racing alongside the St Kilda Pier and beach, a bustling metropolitan atmosphere will ensure a fusion of sport and leisure. Olympic and World Champions will race across the ten Olympic fleets and the 2.4 Norlin One Design in a bid to be crowned 2016 Sailing World Cup Champion and those on-shore will be able to enjoy the show in the race village.
Andy Hunt, World Sailing CEO commented, "Melbourne's sporting heritage is one of the finest in the world. World Sailing are delighted to be taking the centrepiece of the Sailing World Cup to the Australian city.
"Following Rio 2016, sailing will have a new crop of heroes. Welcoming them to the 2016 Sailing World Cup Final will be the start of inspiring the next generation of sailing talent. St Kilda's thriving foreshore, Melbourne's famous breeze and the organising authorities exceptional track record of event delivery will enable World Sailing to showcase Olympic sailing and our athletes to the wider public."
Event Chairman, Mark Klemens said, "Last year's World Cup held in the vibrant and cosmopolitan St Kilda sailing precinct proved itself to be an outstanding location to compete and experience. I am delighted to be Chairman of this year event and so delighted we have been chosen as the venue for the finals particularly in an Olympic year. I promise to all, a magnificently staged event with Melbourne as its back drop. I promise to competitors and spectators alike a memorable week of the highest competition on the perfect waters of Port Philip. I encourage all the finalists to come to Melbourne and experience something special."
The 2016 Sailing World Cup Final will be the climax of a yearlong series. The first event took place in Melbourne before a stop in Miami, USA at the end of January. Two stops in Europe in Hyères, France and Weymouth & Portland, Great Britain lead into Sailing World Cup Qingdao in September before December's showcase.
The St Kilda Sailing Precinct and the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron have welcomed Olympic sailors before, playing host to the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Sailing Competition. The legacy of the Olympiad remains and the stars who won medals on Melbourne waters then, Paul Elvstrom (DEN) and Durward Knowles (BAH) to name but a few, remain household names now.
The Rio 2016 heroes are to be crowned in just 98 days' time and the new breed of heroes will follow in the legends footsteps on the waters they became king at the 2016 Sailing World Cup Final.