The Star World Championship, which will be held for the fourth time in Brazil, brings together a record number of 81 teams, representing 20 countries. All events will take place at the Yacht Club of Rio de Janeiro. The number of participants exceeds even the most optimistic expectations of the organizers, who had hoped for approximately 60 registrations. The World Championship will be held from January 12-23, at a race course outside of Guanabara Bay.

As expected, Brazil will have the greatest number of participants, with 24 boats entered to compete, including top teams such as Torben Grael/Marcelo Ferreira, Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prada, Lars Grael/Ronald Seifert and Alan Adler/Guilherme de Almeida.

The second largest team registered in the race is Italy, with 12 boats, followed by Argentina, with 8 teams, and the USA and Germany, each with 6 boats.

The World Championship will be technically very strong with participants such as British sailors Iain Percy/Andrew Simpson, the Olympic champions in Beijing; US duo George Szabo/Rick Peters, 2009 world champions in Sweden; Swiss participants Flávio Marazzi/Enrico de Maria, currently the top ranked sailors in the world; and world champions Xavier Rohart/Pierre Ponsot (France) and Fredrik Loof/Johan Tillander (Sweden).

The following countries will be represented in the tournament: Brazil (24), Italy (12), Argentina (8), Germany (6), USA (6), Portugal (3), Switzerland (3), England (3), Canada (2), Chile (2), Sweden (2), Croatia (2), Georgia (1), Spain (1), Serbia (1), France (1), Norway (1), Greece (1), Ireland (1) and Austria (1).

Brazil is very pleased that 81 teams have registered so far, considering the distance from Europe and the USA and the logistical efforts involved in transporting the boats. Last year, in Varberg, Sweden, 86 boats participated. In 2005, in Buenos Aires, only 52 teams battled for the title, as opposed to 66 in São Francisco, in 2006, and 63, in Cascais, in 2007.

The Star World Championship 2010 is sponsoring by Banco do Brasil, Transpetro, Governo Federal, Gol Linhas Aéreas, Santa Constanza, Wollner and Secretaria Estadual de Turismo, Esporte e Lazer do Rio de Janeiro. The event is organized by Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro, International Star Class Yacht Racing Association (ISCYRA), Confederação Brasileira de Vela e Motor (CBVM) and Federação de Vela do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FEVERJ).

João Pedro Nunes  

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Last Updated ( Sunday, 10 January 2010 )