Porto Alegre to host 2009 ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final

ISAF is delighted to announce that Porto Alegre, Brazil will host the Grand Final of the 2009 ISAF Nations Cup.

In March 2009, the Veleiros do Sul sailing club in Porto Alegre will host the world’s top match racing nations as they battle in both men’s and women’s divisions for the fifth edition of the ISAF Nations Cup. Between September 2008 and January 2009, seven Regional Finals will take place in Argentina, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, the USA and Oceania to decide which nations will be represented at the Grand Final in Porto Alegre.

Daniel Glomb, event director for the Grand Final, said: "It is such a happiness to know that Brazil is going to host the ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final. We are already working hard to make this event remarkable for everybody involved! The Nations Cup will transform Veleiros do Sul into a reference centre for match racing in South America.”

The 2009 ISAF Nations Cup will be contested in both men’s and women’s divisions. The winning team of each Regional Final will progress to the Grand Final, where they will be joined by the defending champions France - who won both men’s and women’s divisions at the 2006 Nations Cup - and the hosts Brazil.

As well as being a contest to find the world’s top match racing nation, the ISAF Nations Cup also aims to aid the development of match racing around the world. In line with this goal, each of the Regional Finals will be preceded by an ISAF Match Racing Clinic, where both sailors and officials can benefit from the advice and experience of some of the world’s leading Race Officials and coaches.

Porto Alegre, located in southeast Brazil, is one of the largest cities in Brazil and the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The Veleiros do Sul sailing club, located on the Cristal Bay of Guaíba river, was initially established in 1934 and has grown to become one of the foremost match racing clubs in South America. Recent events held in Veleiros do Sul include the 2004 Soling World Championship and the Brasil Match Cup.

Henry Menin, chairman of the ISAF Match Racing Committee, said, “We are delighted to be going to Porto Alegre for the Grand Final of the ISAF Nations Cup in 2009. It was tough decision between the bidding cities, but ultimately we felt the bid from Veleiros do Sul offered the best venue for the event, especially in light of the phenomenal growth of match racing throughout South America, and Brazil in particular. Together with the Regional Finals, the Nations Cup offers a terrific platform for the development of national match racing programmes and it’s great to see the event go from strength-to-strength since it was re-launched in 2006.”

The schedule for the 2008-09 ISAF Nations Cup is:

Grand Final
Porto Alegre, Brazil

Regional Finals
Asia - Mumbay, India
Europe Open I - Brindisi, Italy
Europe Open II - Kinsale, Ireland
Europe Women - Hamburg, Germany
North America and the Caribbean - St Petersburg, Florida, USA
South America - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Oceania - to be announced shortly

The winning host cities were decided by the ISAF Match Racing Committee, after the bids were reviewed by the Nations Cup Working Party, headed by Sally Burnett.