Game time for Youth America’s Cup

The serene island paradise of Bermuda will have eight international teams competing June 20-21 on the Great Sound in the Finals of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. The six-person teams aged 18 to 24 will amp the excitement in the six race series for the title.

But there’s more than a trophy at stake. Launched in 2013, the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup was developed by Sport Directors Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher to provide a pathway toward a professional career in sailing, and America’s Cup syndicates have been watching closely.

“Peter Burling was the skipper of the winning youth boat in 2013, and now he’s helming Emirates Team New Zealand,” notes Hagara, who won two Olympic Gold Medals with Steinacher. “There’s no question that the sailors you see in the Finals are the stars of tomorrow.”

Now that Austria, Denmark, Japan and the USA have been eliminated in the Qualifiers, the Finals will see Team France Jeune (France), SVB Team Germany (Germany), Land Rover BAR Academy (Great Britain), NZL Sailing Team (New Zealand), Spanish Impulse by IBEROSTAR (Spain), Artemis Youth Racing (Sweden), Team Tilt (Switzerland) and Bermuda’s own TeamBDA.

Just 18 months ago, many on the Bermudian team had never sailed at all, and none had ever experienced anything remotely like the massive AC45F foiling catamarans of the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. Their unlikely success in securing a Finals berth has riveted the entire island.

On paper, Sweden and New Zealand are provisional favorites based on Qualifier placement and the Kiwi team’s status as the defending champion. But the terrifically close results so far indicate that the top step of the podium is anyone’s to claim.

The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Finals will be broadcast live on Red Bull TV each day at 2:00pm local Bermuda time/5:00pm UTC. Red Bull TV is available on connected TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and more. For a full list of Red Bull supported devices visit this page. Viewing will also be available on AmericasCup.com, or on mobile devices via the America’s Cup app.

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Source: Youth America’s Cup