The 41st Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofía MAPFRE has been presented at the Barcelona International Boat Show. It is the most International Olympic classes event in Spain and is also part of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, a circuit formed by the top seven Olympic classes events in the world.

The Sailing World Cup, fully consolidated in the Olympic Classes sailing calendar following its great success in the 2008-2009 edition, begins in December in Melbourne, Australia, with Sail Melbourne, followed by the Miami Rolex Miami OCR (SA).

The 41 Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofía MAPFRE, held over Easter in Majorca is the only Spanish event included in the circuit. It will be the third event of the World Cup and will open the regatta season in Europe.

Following Palma, the over one thousand sailors from 45 nations that will participate in the regatta will go to Hyères (France) for the Semaine Olimpique Française, to then go on to the Delta Lloyd Regatta, in Medemblik (The Netherlands), Kiel Week in Kiel (Germany), and will finally be in Weymouth, Great Britain, in the same racing venue of the London 2012 Olympics.  

The 41 Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofía MAPFRE, sponsored for fifth consecutive year by the Spanish leading insurance company, will be held in Majorca from 27 March to 2 April, organised by the four Clubs of the bay of Palma (Club Nàutic S’Arenal, Real Club Náutico de Palma, Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa and Escuela Nacional de Vela Calanova), as well as the Real Federación Española de Vela and Federación Balear de Vela, together with the Govern de les Illes Balears, the Consell de Mallorca and  Palma and Llucmajor city councils.

Following the post-Olympic year, the next edition will be the real starting point towards the London 2012 Olympics. All pre-Olympic teams will already begin the battle for a place in the next Olympic Games and the Sofía MAPFRE will be one of the venues to witness the fight. Around 750 boats and a thousand sailors from 45 nations will meet in the bay of Palma with most active Olympic medallists as well as World and European champions among them.

The 41 Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofía MAPFRE will see the debut of four new classes: the Women’s Match Racing on board the Elliott 6 m, as well as the three London 2012  Paralympics classes: 2.4mR, Skud and Sonar.

These classes will join the other Olympic classes that participate every year in Palma: 470 men and women, RS:X men and women, Laser Standard and Radial, Finn and 49er.

Besides the organising authorities mentioned above, the collaborators of the  Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofía MAPFRE are the Ports Authority, Ports de les Illes Balears, the coastal demarcation of the Ministry for the environment and companies Ultramar Express and Acciona.

Neus Jordi

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Last Updated ( Sunday, 15 November 2009 )