Olympic event bans Russia and Belarus

After meager international participation in the US Open Sailing Series events in Florida, momentum toward the Paris 2024 Olympic begins in earnest at the 51 Trofeo Princesa Sofia on April 4-9 in Mallorca, Spain.

Historically the start of the European season, the world health situation has forced the cancellation of the event in the past two years. But it is back this year, and doing so with an important message.

Following the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee, World Sailing, and the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials have been excluded from the regatta.

At one month before the opening ceremony is due, 711 entrants of 58 nationalities have completed their registration to compete in one of the ten events for the 2024 Olympics: Men’s ILCA 7, Women’s ILCA 6, Men’s and Women’s iQFoil, Men’s and Women’s Formula Kite, Men’s 49er, Women’s 49erFX, and the Mixed 470 and Nacra 17.

“The figures are a little surprising considering the turmoil of the last years and the fact that this is a post-Olympic season but the numbers do confirm our most optimistic estimates,” admits Javier Zaynoun, the regatta’s director. “The entries are not yet closed, and although some teams have yet to complete the formalities, we can already be sure of an excellent level of participation.”

The first athletes have begun to land in Mallorca and the Bay of Palma is beginning see the first signs of Olympic sailing.

“The Spanish and German federations will be working with their entire team in the next few days,” explains Zaynoun. “We are also starting to see the presence of sailors from other countries and we can already feel the competition atmosphere in the air.”

The 51 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca is also the first qualifying regatta for the Hempel World Cup Series 2022, organized by World Sailing.

Details: https://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/en/default/races/race

2022 Hempel World Cup Series:
April 1-9 – Hempel World Cup Series Palma (Princess Sofía Regatta), Spain
May 31-June 5 – Hempel World Cup Series Amsterdam (Allianz Regatta), The Netherlands
TBC – Hempel World Cup Marseille, France

The Hempel World Cup Series is the definitive annual circuit for the world’s leading sailors and Olympic hopefuls. Mirroring the Olympic style of sailing in format, duration and fleet sizes, the World Cup Series visits prestige venues across the globe at all stages of the four-year Olympic cycle, supporting athletes in their quest to qualify for the Games and connecting fans with the very best sailors in the sport.