Sailing World Cup arrives in Rio de Janeiro for 2nd edition

Rio de Janeiro will host the 2nd edition of the Sailing World Cup, which starts next Thursday (19) and will bring together 40 countries in Guanabara Bay.

The event, which has a different format than the traditional one in the sport, brings together teams made up of eight to ten crew members on SSL47 model boats. The competition - officially called the SSL Gold Cup - runs until December 13th.

"Hosting this competition has a special meaning, as it is a return to the 2016 Olympic Games scenario. The World Cup requires a lot of teamwork, strategy and interaction. We will have the opportunity to compete in front of our audience", said Robert Scheidt, captain of the Brazilian team, in a statement to the event's press office.

The SSL (world sailing league) created the World Cup to pit complete teams with the best sailors from each country competing together, all with the same boat, provided by the organization itself.

Instead of individual or double classes with different boat sizes, the intention is to give equal conditions to everyone and crown the country that does best with the challenges that a race in a larger boat requires. Athletes compete in uniforms that bear the colors of their nation.

In the first edition of the World Cup, in 2023, in Gran Canaria, Spain, Hungary won the title beating Italy, the Netherlands and Spain in the final regatta. Brazil closed the competition in eighth place.

The last three places for the tournament are being decided this weekend in a Pan-American qualifier in Rio de Janeiro, with the participation of teams from Mexico, Cuba, Bermuda, El Salvador, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Antigua and Barbuda.