‘Football World Cup’ of Sailing is back

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
Bring on the vuvuzelas and outlandish proclamations… the SSL GOLD CUP is back. After promoting itself as the ‘FOOTBALL WORLD CUP’ of sailing, the build-up came to a crashing halt in October 2022 when “logistical and technical challenges, amplified by the current world environment, made it impossible to host the event in the manner which the event deserves.”

But the latest update is for the event to be held November 10-December 3 in 2023 on the Canary Islands, Spain. With 40 national teams racing 47-foot keelboats, this made-for-TV format has knock-out rounds of fleet racing that lead toward a four-boat final.

I have long questioned the stability of the Star Sailors League, which was founded in 2013 when the Star Class was removed from the Olympics after the 2012 Games. Privately funded by Michel Niklaus, the format used Star boats in an international regatta circuit to promote the athletes and award substantial prize money for participants.

But events in sport too reliant on one person’s wallet, and seemingly without sufficient commercial foundation, can be unstable. The fleet of SSL Star boats has since been sold off, and when the SSL GOLD CUP didn’t happen, I figured time had run out. Apparently not.

Here is the announcement from September 6, 2023:

Inspired by the Football World Cup, the SSL GOLD CUP offers THE ultimate challenge for sailors by officially designating and crowning the World Champion of Sailing Nations.

So, after football in 1930, and rugby in 1987, sailing is ready to launch its “Mundial” in 2023 with the SSL Gold Cup in a 25-day long competition among nations. Like the Football World Cup, the SSL Gold Cup aims to make national pride resonate in a sporting and friendly manner and is ready to become one huge media showcase for the sport of sailing every 4 years.

Like the major World Cups in other sports, the SSL Gold Cup will be an equal opportunity event with no social, geographical, financial, or cultural discrimination. The conditions will be the same for all teams, with identical SSL47s (a modified RC44) and training made available free of charge to all teams.

Held in Gran Canaria, 40 teams will compete in the SSL Gold Cup Finals, including the world’s top 24 sailing nations in the SSL Ranking, plus 16 teams who came through the Qualifying Series, held from May to July 2022.

Just as with the pinnacle event in football, each team will be wearing the colors of their nation and their emblems. Each team includes 11 athletes which means more than 400 sailors, counting amongst their crews’ Olympic medalists and World Champions multiple inshore sailing classes.

The stunning venue in the Canary Islands enjoys superb winds, sunshine, and temperatures of around 20 degrees Celsius (68°F) during that time, making it the ideal location to host the SSL Gold Cup.

Pre-Qualified Teams (24):
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA.

Teams advancing from qualifiers (16):
Antigua, Chile, Czech Republic, Cuba, Estonia, Ireland, Lithuania, Malaysia, Oman, Peru, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Tahiti, Thailand, Ukraine.

Team’s Captain:
1. ANT, Shannon Falcone, America’s Cup winner
2. ARG, Santiago Lange, Olympic champion
3. AUS, John Bertrand, America’s Cup winner
4. AUT, Thomas Zajac, Olympic medalist
5. BRN, Abdulla Janahi, Arabic champion
6. BRA, Robert Scheidt, Olympic champion
7. CAN, Richard Clarke, Pan-Am champion
8. CHI, Pablo Lorca, South American champion
9. CRO, Šime Fantela, Olympic champion
10. CUB, Nelido Manso Lopez, Snipe World champion
11. CZE, Ondrej Teply, Junior World champion
12. DEN, Jonas Høgh-Christensen, Olympic medalist
13. ESP, Luis Doreste, Olympic champion
14. EST, Tonu Toniste, Olympic medalist
15. FIN, Thomas Johanson, Olympic champion
16. FRA, Loick Peyron, Around the World record
17. GER, Frithjof Kleen, Star World Champion
18. GBR, Ian Williams, Match racing World champion
19. HUN, Zsombor Berecz, Olympic medalist
20. IRL, Neil O’leary, Youth World champion
21. ISR, Eitan Friedlander, 420 World champion
22. ITA, Vasco Vascotto, TP52 World champion
23. JPN, Eiichiro Hamazaki, Asian Games medalist
24. LTU, Gintare Scheidt, Olympic medalist
25. MAS, Megat Danial, National champion
26. NED, Roy Heiner, Olympic medalist
27. NZL, Leslie Egnot, Olympic medalist
28. NOR, Eivind Melleby, Star World champion
29. OMA, Nasser Al Mashari, Bronze at GC32 Worlds
30. PER, Stefano Peschiera, ILCA Olympian
31. POL, Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Olympic champion
32. POR, Joao Rodrigues, Mistral World champion
33. SLO, Vasilij Žbogar, Olympic medalist
34. RSA, Ian Ainslie, J/22 World champion
35. SWE, Max Salminen, Olympic champion
36. SUI, Eric Monnin, Match racing rank #1
37. TAH, Teva Plichard, Match racing European champion
38. THA, Noppakao Poonpat, Optimist World champion
39. UKR, Rodion Luka, Olympic medalist
40. USA, Paul Cayard, Louis Vuitton & Whitbread winner