SailGP announces debut event in Asia
SailGP has added Singapore to its Season 3 calendar, making it the first Asian location to host a leg of the SailGP hydrofoiling series.
The ten teams competing in Season 3 – including new franchises Canada and Switzerland, and returning nations Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United States – will race at Parkland Green in Singapore’s East Coast Park from January 14-15, 2023.
The league’s ten hydrofoiling F50 catamarans, which can reach speeds approaching 100kmh, will race for two podiums in Singapore.
After making the eighth stop in Singapore, the league will head to Christchurch, New Zealand before the Grand Final taking place at San Francisco Bay in May 2023. One further event is expected to be announced to complete SailGP Season 3.
The Singapore Sail Grand Prix will include female athletes as part of the league’s ‘Women’s Pathway Program.’ It also aims to introduce the sport to young people from diverse backgrounds through SailGP’s youth and community outreach program, SailGP Inspire.
The Spain SailGP Team leads the fleet at the start of a practice race in 2020. Photo courtesy of Lloyd Images/SailGP
The Singapore event joins the nine countries that have already been announced for Season 3, with the championship kicking-off this month at the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix on May 14-15. From there, the ten-nation fleet will head to Chicago, Plymouth, Copenhagen, Saint-Tropez, Cádiz and Dubai, ahead of Singapore, making it the biggest SailGP season to date.
“From our inception, we have made it clear that our ambition is to be a truly global championship, with some of the world’s most iconic waterfront cities as our backdrop,” says SailGP CEO, Russell Coutts. “With the confirmation of our first Asian Grand Prix, the addition of Singapore to the line-up and Season 3 now spanning four continents, our vision is becoming a reality.”
Keith Tan, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board adds: “We are excited to welcome the participants and fans of the first Sail Grand Prix in Asia. The event strengthens our calendar of sporting events and reinforces our position as a leading leisure and business destination. We support SailGP’s comprehensive strategy to reduce its overall carbon footprint, which furthers our ambition to become a top innovative sustainable urban destination.”
SailGP 2022-23 schedule
2022
May 14-15: Bermuda SailGP
June 18-19: United States SailGP, Chicago
July 30-31: Great Britain SailGP, Plymouth
Aug 19-20: Denmark SailGP, Copenhagen
Sept 10-11: France SailGP, Saint-Tropez
Sept 24-25: Spain SailGP, Andalucía – Cadiz
Nov 12-13: Dubai SailGP
2023*
Jan 14-15: Singapore SailGP, Singapore
March 18-19: New Zealand SailGP, Christchurch
May 6-7 (grand final): United States Sail GP, San Francisco
*one more stop to be announced
