50th Trofeo Princesa Sofía Iberostar will see debut of 470 mixed event

470 fleet at Trofeo Princesa Sofía Iberostar © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR

The Trofeo Princesa Sofía Iberostar, one of the most important Olympic Classes regatta in the world, sets the trend once again and becomes the first sailing event to apply the gender equality criteria requested by the International Olympic Committee.

The first step will be made at the 50th anniversary edition of the Balearic event with the introduction of mixed teams in the two-person 470 class.

From 29th March to 6th April around one thousand sailors from approximately 55 nations will meet in the bay of Palma, distributed in the traditional ten Olympic fleets. But in this edition, the 470 Men and Women will be joined by the 470 Mixed, with crews formed by one male and one female, acting either as skipper or crew.

This new category that will sail with the 470 men at the Sofia Iberostar will have its world debut in Majorcan waters. It will be the first key test towards the Paris 2024 Olympics where, for the first time, it will be included in the Olympic programme following the IOC guidelines to foster gender equality in sport.

"It is an honour and pride for the Sofía Iberostar to be pioneers once again thanks to the close relationship with the classes and sailors which has resulted in the regatta being known as the "the sailors' regatta"- points out Ferran Muniesa, the event General Manager-. The request to introduce the mixed event came from the International 470 Class with the purpose of offering teams the chance to start testing at events with views to Paris 2024".

Therefore, the first 470 mixed teams, mostly youth teams from nations such as Great Britain, Switzerland and Spain, among others, will take a chance in the new category six years away from the Olympic target. They will have to overcome many obstacles along the way, the first of them being to find the balance on board with the new crew.

"We have already seen in the Nacra 17, also a mixed event, that it is not always easy to have mixed male and female teams due to an important psychological factor. But the IOC is determined to boost gender equality in sport and the Sofia Iberostar supports the concept, aware of the need to configure a fairer and more equal society at all levels, adds Muniesa.

Club Nàutic S'Arenal will be the venue for the 470 fleet at the 50 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Iberostar, together with the Finn, 49er and 49er FX and, as a novelty this year, it will also host the RS:X men and women. Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa (venue for the Laser, Laser Radial and Nacra 17) and Real Club Náutico de Palma (ORC and One design) are also organisers and venues of the Majorcan regatta that will celebrate this year half a century of life in a historical edition: at sports level for the exceptional participation expected, both in quantity and quality and in the social area with the celebration of several parallel commemorative events.