Another giant leap for mankind

The push to broadcast Olympic sailing will experience another test when the equipment used for the Men’s and Women’s Skiff events, alongside the Mixed Multihull event, will hold their Oceania Championships (November 25-27) and World Championships (December 3-8) in Auckland, New Zealand

Orchestrated by the 49er/49erFX and Nacra 17 Class Associations, and utilizing the New Zealand streaming platform SidelineApp, the technology company will provide worldwide audiences with access to live and on-demand coverage from the Hauraki Gulf race course.

The broadcast will include some of the latest 4G bonding tech and tracking of all boats with TracTrac, on board 4G cameras thanks to Icarus Sports, drones, and on-water coverage commentated by Jesse Tuke, the younger brother of Olympic 49er gold medallist Blair Tuke.

Swiss Timing’s 2D/3D graphics used at World Sailing events will be incorporated into the broadcast package, as will SKY Sport New Zealand’s regatta coverage.

“It’s a tricky sport for traditional broadcasters to comprehensively cover due to the many moving parts, the number of cameras needed to cater for large fleets, and the technology of streaming vision away from land,” explained SidelineApp founder Luke Thompson.

“4G has opened the floodgates for providing reliable streaming content across the globe, and we’re really focused on the new 4G bonding & 5G technologies coming to the market.”

The 2019 World Championships will be of huge importance for the sailors and nations competing. In addition to the three World Championship titles on the line, Olympic qualification and selection is up for grabs for the majority of the competitors. Overall there are 206 teams competing from 41 nations comprising 412 athletes.

Access to the Oceania broadcast will be provided free of charge while the World Championships package can be purchased for the early bird price of 9.95 Euros for all LIVE and On Demand. After November 30 the package is 14.95 euros. (Geoblocked territories, if any, will be confirmed prior.)

“While it is not traditional to have subscription based coverage for sailing, we do think it could be the best way forward,” said class manager, Ben Remocker. “If the sailing public can get behind this type of comprehensive coverage, we have a chance to take a long-term leap forward in what we can offer passionate sailing fans globally.”

How to follow the 2019 Hyundai 49er, 49erFX and Nacra17 World Championships:

Regatta websites:
• 49er and 49erFX: 49er.org/event/2019-world-championship
• Nacra 17: nacra17.org/events/2019-world-championship

Live broadcasts:
• 49er and 49erFX: 49er.org/live
• Nacra 17: nacra17.org/live