The Emirati capital Abu Dhabi moves firmly into the sporting
spotlight in the coming days with the F1 World Championship drawing to
its finale this weekend, followed by the first ever ISAF Sailing World
Cup Final being held off Lulu Island from 27-30 November. Some 26 British sailors are set to compete across ten events at next
week’s inaugural season-ending World Cup Final, introduced by ISAF to
provide a greater showcase to the annual elite Olympic Classes series.
The British contingent will join invited competitors from 38 other
nations battling it out in the ten Olympic classes, with an open
kiteboarding event also forming part of the World Cup spectacle, with
sailors having qualified via positions at the Santander World
Championships, world ranking positions or via last month’s leg of the
World Cup series in Qingdao, China.
While a number of British Sailing Team stars – including Giles Scott,
and 470 pairings Hannah Mills-Saskia Clark and Luke Patience-Elliot
Willis – have opted not to take up their invitations this time around,
there will still be a heavy-hitting GBR cast in attendance, aiming for
the podium spots and a share of the US$200,000 prize purse.
The 2014 World and European Championship bronze medallist Ed Wright
will feature in the 19-boat Finn class, with Croatia’s world silver
medallist Ivan Kjlakovic Gaspic among his rivals, while double Olympic
medallist and double World Champion Nick Dempsey lines up in the RS:X
men’s windsurfing event, joined by Podium Potential talent Tom Squires.
Sophie Weguelin makes her competitive return with Eilidh McIntyre in
the 470 Women’s event, having been given the all-clear to return after
treatment for a deep vein thrombosis suffered in August, while Kate
Macgregor will be sailing with new crew Kirstie Urwin in the 49erFX
women’s skiff event.
Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves will be making their first foray into
international competition together after joining forces in the Nacra 17
last month, with Lucy Macgregor and Andy Walsh also vying for British
Sailing Team honours in the mixed multihull event.
Four time World Championship medallist Nick Thompson will be in
action in the hotly-contested Laser class, while Bryony Shaw and Izzy
Hamilton will feature in the RS:X women’s windsurfing event.
Four British 49er crews will be in attendance, with Dylan
Fletcher-Alain Sign, John Pink-Stuart Bithell, Dave Evans-Ed Powys and
Stevie Morrison-Chris Grube all on the startline in the men’s skiff
event, while Chloe Martin and Hannah Snellgrove complete the British
line up in the Olympic Classes in the women’s Laser Radial event.
Mother and son kiteboarding stars Steph and Ollie Bridge – with
four-time World Champion Steph a recent ISAF World Sailor of the Year
finalist – will race in the open kiteboarding event, being held in
addition to the Olympic Class events in the UAE capital.
“The ISAF Sailing World Cup Final is for the most part a concept
event this year, but we’re taking as strong a team as our programmes and
logistics allow given its relatively late addition to the 2014
calendar,” explained RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park.“
The introduction of the Sailing World Cup Final, as part of ISAF’s
revamped vision for the World Cup circuit as a whole, provides some
great opportunities for Olympic Classes sailing to grow in commercial
and promotional terms – not to mention some quality end-of-season racing
for our sailors.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what this first event has to
offer, and our athletes are excited to be part of ISAF‘s evolving new
vision for Olympic Sailing.”
Racing at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final gets underway on Thursday
27 November, with the final medal races on Sunday 30 November.
Stay with us at www.britishsailingteam.com, on Facebook or on Twitter @BritishSailing for all the action from the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final.(www.rya.org.uk)
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