Match Racing Tour ends in Australia

The World Match Racing Tour have rescheduled the WMRT Final to December 13-18 and moved to Sydney, Australia. The 2022 event will be co-hosted with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) and the winner will be crowned official 2022 Match Racing World Champion.

The change of venue for the event follows the ongoing border closures in China, where the WMRT Final was previously scheduled to take place in Shenzhen on December 6-11. Strict travel restrictions for international visitors to China have been in place since the start of the global pandemic in 2020.

“It is unfortunate we have been unable to host the WMRT Final in Shenzhen again this year due to the continued travel restrictions to China,” commented WMRT Executive Director James Pleasance. “However, to ensure we can still host the tour final this year, we are very pleased to partner with the CYCA to host the event in Sydney. The club has a great deal of experience in running world class match racing events and sailing conditions in Sydney in December should be ideal as well.”

Up to 12 teams are being invited to the event including defending match racing world champion Taylor Canfield (USA) and six-time world champion Ian Williams (GBR). The event will be sailed in Elliott 7m keelboats with crews of 4 or 5. Racing will take place over five days with a single round robin stage followed by a repechage, Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Final.

Editor’s note: The WMRT has been struggling to remain active amid ownership struggles and pandemic restrictions. We are seeking confirmation, but it appears the 2022 WMRT Final was actually the 2021 Final which had been postponed to 2022, and has now been rolled into the 2022 season schedule.

Update: It is confirmed the 2021 WMRT Final was cancelled.

2022 World Match Racing Tour Schedule
April 14-16 – Ficker Cup – Long Beach, CA, USA
April 18-23 – Congressional Cup – Long Beach, CA, USA*
April 28-May 1 – Szczecin Match Race – Szczecin, Poland
May 6-8 – Porto Montenegro Match Race – Tivat, Montenegro
May 20-22 – NJK Open Spring Cup – Helsinki, Finland
May 24-29 – Island Match Cup – Puerto Rico (cancelled)
June 4-5 – GKSS Spring Cup – Gothenburg, Sweden
June 16-19 – OM International Ledro Match Race – Ledro, Italy
July 4-9 – GKSS Match Cup Marstrand – Marstrand, Sweden* (cancelled)
August 12-14 – Chicago Grand Slam – Chicago, IL, USA
August 18-21 – International Match Race for the Detroit Cup – Detroit, MI, USA
August 25-29 – Oakcliff International – Oyster Bay, NY, USA
August 30-September 3 – Thompson Cup – Oyster Bay, NY, USA
September 7-11 – Baltic Match Race – Tallin, Estonia
September 29-October 3 – Match Race Germany – Langenargen, Germany (cancelled)
September 30-October 3 – DBS Marina Bay Cup – Marina Bay, Singapore
October 7-9 – Polish Open – Szczecin, Poland
October 17-22 – Bermuda Gold Cup – Hamilton, Bermuda* (cancelled)
December 13-18- WMRT Finals – Sydney, Australia*
*World Championship (WC) Events

WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR
Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body – World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion.

Previous champions include Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Adam Minoprio (NZL), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Bertrand Pace (FRA), Jesper Radich (DEN), Phil Robertson (NZL) and Ian Williams (GBR).

Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD23million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com