Major Olympic qualifier cancelled

London, GBR (March 11, 2020) – World Sailing has cancelled the 2020 Hempel World Cup Series Genoa event that was due to be held in the Italian city on April 11-19 due to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in Italy, World Sailing has been in regular contact with the Federazione Italiana Vela (FIV), the local organizers, and the Italian Government, receiving updates and closely monitoring the situation. The World Sailing Board has also consulted the World Sailing Medical Commission prior to making this decision.

The decision was made to ensure the health and well-being of the sailors, support personnel, officials, and volunteers, a top priority for World Sailing.

Hempel World Cup Series Genoa was to act as the final opportunity for Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification for African, Asian, and European sailors in a number of the Olympic Sailing Events. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has granted World Sailing an extension of the qualification period to June 30, 2020.

World Sailing is now working in close collaboration with the IOC and Event Organizers to reschedule the remaining African, Asian, and European Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifiers and to ensure that all quota places can be allocated.

There is no decision yet whether health concerns will impact the concluding event of the 2019-20 Hempel World Cup Series on June 16-21 to be held at the sailing venue for the 2020 Olympics in Enoshima, Japan.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are scheduled on July 24 to August 9 with the sailing program to be held from July 26 to August 6.

Further updates on qualification events will be issued by World Sailing with formal updates applied to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Qualification System.

Event details – Entry list – YouTube – Facebook

The World Cup Series is an annual circuit of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors, and a key touchpoint for fans and media to connect to the sport of sailing and develop support for athletes on their road to Tokyo 2020 Olympics and beyond. Over 2,000 of the world’s leading sailors, representing 75 nations, have competed in the World Cup Series since its inception in 2008.

2019-20 Hempel World Cup Series
Aug 27-Sep 1, 2019 – Enoshima, Japan
January 20-25, 2020 – Miami, USA
April 14-19, 2020 – Genoa, Italy (CANCELLED)
June 16-21, 2020 – Enoshima, Japan

Source: World Sailing