Sailing recognized for broadcast innovation

The commitment of the Volvo Ocean Race to deliver raw and unfiltered storytelling to fans during the 2017-18 edition has seen the Race shortlisted for a prestigious 2019 Yahoo Sports Technology Award, despite the challenge of telling the story of a Race where the action often takes place thousands of miles from land.

Founded in 2014, the Awards were the world’s first celebration of the influential technology in the sports sector, and now celebrates some of the biggest and most innovative names in sport with entries representing 50 sports from 30 countries named amongst the final selection. The final awards will be announced on May 2.

The Race’s nomination in the Rights Holder of the Year category alongside entries from around the planet that include NASCAR and Major League Baseball.

The record-breaking 2017-18 edition of the Race was the most engaging and accessible edition in history, with more content made available to fans, quicker than ever before – and with an increased focus on delivering authentic and raw stories from the racetrack.

Key numbers from the event – which ended in thrilling style with a three-team showdown in The Hague in summer 2018 – include some 111 million unique sessions on the race tracker, 194 hours of live coverage produced from all over the world, and 1.9 billion impressions across the race’s social channels.

Uniquely in sport, dedicated Onboard Reporters on every boat work around the clock to tell the story of life onboard and transmit back to Race HQ in Alicante as it happens – delivering an immersive experience for Race fans around the globe.

“Technology and innovation are at the heart of this Race – not just for the sailors battling for glory around the world, but to bring the story to life for our fans all over the globe and in our Race Villages,” notes Race Technology Director, Samuel Piñeiro.

“In 2017-18, we delivered new angles on sailing, including the first ever drone footage from the Southern Ocean and even live broadcasts from Point Nemo – the most remote spot on the planet, where the sailors are closer to the astronauts in the International Space Station than civilisation on land.

“Delivering an event of this scale from some of the most challenging regions on Earth isn’t easy, but we were fortunate to have the help of some incredible technology partners, including the likes of Inmarsat and Cobham, who made it possible for us to transmit footage from the boats to Race HQ – and to fans’ screens – around the clock.

“Additionally, our interactive and educational Race Villages welcomed almost 3 million visitors in 12 Host Cities, and our partnership with HCL Technologies helped us to build world-class networking infrastructure against massive time and logistical pressures as we moved around the planet.

“Our technology partners use the world’s toughest race as a platform to showcase, test and develop their products – and market on a global scale – and we’re proud of all the collaborations that have contributed to the best edition of the race in history.”

The Yahoo Sports Technology Awards is the leading global celebration of technology-led innovation across the international sports sector. Held annually as a competition to highlight outstanding advances in the industry, the Awards is run by the Sports Technology Awards Group and judged by over 40 leading influencers from the world of sport.

Rebecca Hopkins, Sports Technology Awards Group CEO, said: “We’re in the sixth cycle of the Yahoo Sports Technology Awards and this year’s entries, once again, push the boundaries of innovation across the sector.

“The shortlist highlights frontrunners in every area and proves that these Awards highlight the industry’s technical progress like no other.

Race details – Tracker – Scoreboard – Race route – Facebook – YouTube

Volvo Ocean Race Overall Results (after 11 of 11 legs)
1. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 73 points
2. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 70
3. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 69
4. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 59
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 39
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 32
7. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 32

In-Port Race Series Overall Results (after 11 of 11 races)
1. MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP), 64 points
2. Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 56
3. Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED), 50
4. Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED), 50
5. Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA), 35
6. Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR), 25
7. Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS), 25

2017-18 Edition: Entered Teams – Skippers
• Team AkzoNobel (NED), Simeon Tienpont (NED)
• Dongfeng Race Team (CHN), Charles Caudrelier (FRA)
• MAPFRE (ESP), Xabi Fernández (ESP)
• Vestas 11th Hour Racing (DEN/USA), Charlie Enright (USA)
• Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag (HKG), David Witt (AUS)
• Turn the Tide on Plastic (POR), Dee Caffari (GBR)
• Team Brunel (NED), Bouwe Bekking (NED)

Background: Racing the one design Volvo Ocean 65, the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race begins in Alicante, Spain on October 22 2017 with the final finish in The Hague, Netherlands on June 30 2018. In total, the 11-leg race will visit 12 cities in six continents: Alicante, Lisbon, Cape Town, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Auckland, Itajaí, Newport, Cardiff, Gothenburg, and The Hague. A maximum of eight teams will compete.

Source: Volvo Ocean Race