06/09/2024
The Port Olímpic will host the 12 teams participating in the UniCredit Youth America's Cup and the first edition of the Puig Women's America's Cup
From next week will begin training for two competitions that give visibility to young sailing talent and the growing participation of women in the sport
The Port Olímpic hosts, from this week, the base of the youth and women's teams of the America's Cup and becomes the nerve center of two of the main events in the competition's calendar. The twelve participating teams have the Moll de Xaloc as their center of operations, from where they prepare and set up the AC40s, the boats with which they will compete for the titles of the UniCredit Youth America's Cup and the Puig Women's America's Cup, which will start on September 17th and October 5th respectively.
This Wednesday, the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, visited the facilities along with America's Cup Event CEO Grant Dalton, competition coordinator Abby Ehler, Sports Councillor David Escudé and representatives of all the teams.
According to the mayor, Jaume Collboni, “the hosting of the women's and youth teams of the America's Cup positions Barcelona, and especially the Port Olímpic, as a world reference in the sailing world”. “The city continues to work to make sailing a sport accessible to everyone. We not only want to be a reference in international competitions, but also in the promotion of sailing among our people,” added the mayor.
Grant Dalton, CEO of the America's Cup Event, said: “In coming to Barcelona for the 37th Louis Vuitton America's Cup, we wanted to go further and make an impact in terms of diversity. Bringing back the UniCredit Youth America's Cup and creating Puig Women's America's Cup allows us to create a way for young athletes and women to reach the pinnacle of sailing through a competition that allows their talent to shine on a global stage with a new class of the latest generation of boats, the AC40s. And to achieve this, we have found the best facilities for the joint technical base here at the Port Olímpic. The transformation it has undergone is absolutely remarkable and it is an ideal venue for the UniCredit Youth and Puig Women's America's Cup teams.
A historic event
|
Starting next week, the youth teams - both sailors under 25 years of age - will leave the Port Olímpic to begin their training with an eye on the third edition of the UniCredit Youth America's Cup, which will be held between 17 and 26 September on the Barcelona coastline. For their part, the women's teams will begin their preparation on September 28th in preparation for a historic event, as Barcelona will host the first Puig Women's America's Cup, from October 5th to 13th. Abby Ehler has highlighted the value of this milestone, considering that “it offers a platform and an opportunity for sailors from all over the world that has never before been held at this level of competition, creating elite role models that will inspire the next generation of girls who are starting out in sailing”. In addition to the six official participants in the 37th America's Cup, representing New Zealand, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, the United States and France, the youth and women's competitions add six new teams, representing Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Sweden and Australia. |
|
Nautical promotion
|
With the arrival of the youth and women's America's Cup competitions, the Port Olímpic hosts its first major sporting event since its reopening last July. Both competitions are an international showcase that gives visibility to both the young promises of sailing and the growing participation of women in this sport, thus aligning with one of the objectives of the Port Olímpic with its transformation, as is the promotion of a nautical model accessible to all audiences. To achieve this goal, in addition to hosting major competitions, the Port Olímpic's calendar includes dozens of popular regattas with a growing participation year after year, such as the Ophiusa Regatta, the 4 Clubs Regatta or the Polar Regatta. |
The Port Olímpic is also making progress in the promotion of inclusive sailing, hosting events such as the Alzheimer's Regatta, organized by the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation and the Veles Alzheimer's Association, which this year was attended by more than 200 people affected by this disease.
With its transformation, the Port Olímpic has also promoted the remodeling of the Municipal Sailing Center (CMV) which, with the new facilities, will be able to increase its activity with the aim of bringing the practice of sailing closer to the public and, especially, to the youngest.