Macau will host the opening event of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), one of the most important international sailing competitions, every year from 2025 onwards.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Regional Institute of Sports (ID) said the WMRT Macau Match Cup, an event recognised by the World Sailing Federation, will be held from January 8 to 12.
The Macau round will be the opening event of the 2025 WMRT season, the full programme of which has not yet been announced.
This year’s competition kicked off in the United States in April, with the grand final scheduled to take place in the Chinese city of Shenzhen from December 10 to 15.
In another statement released Monday, WMRT chief executive James Pleasance said the Macau agreement “represents another important milestone” in the network’s development.
WMRT also said Macau would host the route’s opening annually, “starting in 2025.”
Lusa has attempted to obtain additional information from ID, but has yet to receive any response.
The WMRT leg will be part of the 2025 Macau International Regatta, which will also include the Lotus Flower Cup Regatta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Cup Regatta, ID reported.
More than 300 yachtsmen take part in the Macau International Regatta annually, which started in 2019, WMRT emphasized. This year, prizes totaling $100,000 (€90,000) will be awarded, he added.
ID says attracting “the world’s best sailors” to Macau will “further enhance” the city’s status as a “global tourism and leisure hub” and help diversify the local gambling-dependent economy.
In a statement to WMRT, ID interim president Luis Gomes said the decision “once again demonstrates Macau’s ability to host major international competitions.”
WMRT is one of the most important international sailing competitions, in which the Far East 28R takes part – one of the fastest and most maneuverable catamarans in the world, capable of reaching speeds of up to 20 knots (37 kilometers per hour) even against the wind.
The winner of the WMRT course, created in 2000, is recognized by the World Sailing Federation as the official world champion in match racing.
Lisbon hosted the competition in 2018.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.