MIAMI, Fla. (January 26, 2014) – Coconut Grove was bustling with anticipation on Sunday for the start of 25th annual ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami. US Sailing’s premiere racing event gets underway this Monday with 580 of the best Olympic and Paralympic class sailors in the world representing 50 countries. This year’s participation total is the sixth highest in event history. The six-day regatta marks the third stop on the 2013-14 ISAF Sailing World Cup series and the lone event held in North America.

Josh Adams, Managing Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing, commented on this year’s event. “ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami has all the key elements to be a strong international draw: warm winter climate, proven sailing conditions, an existing Olympic and Paralympic training scene, high quality race management, a major shipping port, a sailing community and city that fully supports the event and a 25-year tradition of Olympic class racing.”

The stakes are high for this world class international regatta featuring a large collection of top ranked one-design sailors in 10 Olympic and three Paralympic events selected for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from August 5-21 and September 7-18, respectively. The 10 Olympic classes are: Laser Radial (women), Laser (men), Finn (men), Men’s RS:X, Women’s RS:X, 49er (men), Men’s 470, Women’s 470, Nacra 17 (mixed) and 49er FX (women). Paralympic classes included are: 2.4mR (open, able and disabled), SKUD-18 (mixed crew, disabled) and Sonar (open, disabled).

ISAF medals will be awarded to the top three boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class on Saturday, February 1. Competitors in the Paralympic classes will have five days of fleet racing (Monday-Friday) and no medal race.

The ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami provides an opportunity for U.S. and international Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls to take their campaigns for Rio 2016 to the next level. Olympians, world champions, and a cast of rising stars will be tested. The 2014 field includes sailors with diverse backgrounds and various skill sets.

The first two World Cup regattas of 2013-14 took place in Melbourne, Australia (December 1-8, 2013) and Qingdao, China (October 12-19, 2013).

ISAF Sailing World Cup Manager Antonio Gonzalez de la Madrid shared his outlook on this week’s festivities. “After excellent racing in Qingdao, China and Melbourne, Australia the ISAF Sailing World Cup series touches down in North America. The world’s best sailors took the top honors at these regattas and they are continuing the journey to the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships and beyond to Rio 2016. The World Cup is important to the Olympic sailors as it brings together the same technology, race management and rivalries that will be seen at Rio 2016. The racing is sure to be exhilarating, tense and fun to watch.”

On Sunday, a fully charged group of sailors finalized registration details, toured the event’s five sailing venues, fine-tuned their equipment, and acclimated to the conditions on Biscayne Bay with some practice.

“This event has attracted many of the top ranked international sailors for most of the classes competing this week,” said Gary Bodie, Co-Chairman of ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami. “We hope fans following the action from all over the world will find our enhanced live tracking features a great way to access real-time results and racing details from Biscayne Bay.”

The ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami organizing committee, headed by co-chairs Gary Bodie and Meredith Muller, with support from Carol Ewing, announced the International Jury: Chairman of the Jury Bernard Bonneau (FRA), Jim Capron (USA), Bruce Cook (USA), Luiso Ferrandiz (ESP), Charlotte Greppe (SWE), Sandy Grosvenor (USA), Elliott Levy (VEN), Marianne Middelthon (NOR), Marty Ottenheimer (USA), Ana Sanchez (ESP), and Zsolt Regenyi (HUN). The National Jury includes, Sungchul Jeong (KOR), Gurvinderpal Julka (IND), Lori Lowe (BAH), Marty Ottenheimer (USA), Dick Rose (USA), and Sture Christenson (SWE).

The event’s Principal Race Officer is Ricardo Navarro (BRA) assisted by Deputy International Race Officer Mark Murphy (USA) with International Race Officers Tom Duggan (USA, Laser Radial), John Craig (USA, RS:X), Jamie Ramon (USA, Paralympic classes),  Bruce Green (USA, 49er, 49er FX) assisted by Jim Tichenor (USA), John Strassman (USA, 470, Finn), Peter Van Muyden (CAN, Nacra 17). International Measurer is Barry Johnson (AUS), with Equipment Inspector Dina Kowalyshyn (USA). Antonio Gonzalez de la Madrid (ESP) is the ISAF Technical Delegate. Jurgen Schwittai (GER) is the ISAF Technical Delegate for the Paralympic classes.

The 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami is sponsored by Sperry Top-Sider, Chubb, UHealth Sports Medicine / University of Miami Hospital, City of Miami, Resorts World Miami, Harken McLube, Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority (MSEA), Coral Reef Sailing Apparel, West Marine, and Oakcliff.

Live Updates and Scoring
Get updates from the race course by following the event using our live Twitter feed. Click here for updated results and standings.

Tracking
Live tracking in 2D and 3D will be available during ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami.

Video
In addition, fully-produced highlight packages will be available from 30 January to 1 February. These will contain interviews, action and results, including event graphics.

Photography
Access event photos via US Sailing’s Flickr, including today’s Opening Ceremonies

Follow
For all results and information visit the ISAF Sailing World Cup website at http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/home.php.

Social Media
The @ISAFupdates and @SailingWCMiami Twitter accounts will be following the action throughout the week, follow the accounts here https://twitter.com/ISAFupdates and https://twitter.com/SailingWCMiami

ISAF Sailing World Cup Facebook
ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami Facebook

Contact
ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami Press Officer Jake Fish
jakefish@ussailing.org

About US Sailing’s ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami
Established in 1990 by US Sailing, ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami annually draws elite sailors, including Olympic and Paralympic medalists and hopefuls from around the world. The regatta is open to boats competing in events chosen for the 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition and the 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition. The 10 Olympic classes are: Laser Radial (women), Laser (men), Finn (men), Men’s and Women’s Windsurfing, 49er (men), 49er FX (women), Men’s and Women’s 470 and Nacra 17 (mixed). The three Paralympic classes are: 2.4mR (open, able and disabled), SKUD-18 (mixed, disabled) and Sonar (open, disabled). In addition to being an ISAF Sailing World Cup ranking event, the regatta also will aid in selecting members of the 2014 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider.

About US Sailing
The ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami is organized by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, which provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. For more information, please visit us at www.ussailing.org.