Importance of Mallorca no coincidence

The new quad that leads to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games begins in earnest at the 2025 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca on March 31-April 5 in Mallorca, Spain. This will be the 54th edition of Olympic yachts competing in the Bay of Palma, an event that was born in 1968 with only the Dragon class.

But then in 1974, H.R.H. Princess Sofia asked to expand the fleet by incorporating the Finn, 470, Soling -participants in the Olympic cycle of Montreal 1976, along with the Snipe, 420, and Europa classes. Now, the giant regatta is open to all ten medal disciplines that are part of the Olympic Sailing Program.

“In all these years, the Trofeo Princesa Sofia has evolved and consolidated itself as one of the most important regattas in the international calendar,” said explains Manu Fraga, manager of the Palma club. “We have witnessed how this regatta has boosted the development of the sport of sailing in our country and has contributed to position Mallorca as a world reference in nautical competitions.”

The base of the trophy engraved with the names of the overall winner includes renowned athletes who stood out among the best of their era; many of them would go on to become Olympic champions. The last single-class edition, in 1973, was won by the then Prince Juan Carlos, who formed a crew with Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba and Félix Gancedo.

Since its transformation into a multi-class regatta, the trophy has gone to many legends of the sport such as Marit Bouwmeester (2014 champion, Laser Radial) and Sir Ben Ainslie (2011, Finn) along with Santiago Lange, who won the 1986 and 1987 editions together with Miguel Saubidet in the Snipe class.

“To get to Europe was a lot, and to be able to win a regatta like this was impressive for us,” recalls the Argentine star Lange. “The Snipe was not Olympic then, but I keep those victories in my memory as one of those historic moments in my sporting career.”

Having participated in “about 36 editions”, Lange is something of an authoritative voice to explain the constant appeal of Olympic sailing at the Mallorcan regatta.

“The Sofia is special because it always took care of the sailors, always wanted to grow, and that is very noticeable. For those of us who found it difficult to get to Europe, the Sofia always opened its doors wide to us.

“In its beginnings, with the Navy ships that took our boats for free, accommodation and food came with the registration,… It was always noticeable that the important thing for the organization was that the participants enjoyed themselves.

“To that we of course sail on the wonderful bay of Palma and the social spirit that Spain has. It is an incredible tournament, and it is no coincidence that it is becoming more and more important in the Olympic calendar.”

Event details: www.trofeoprincesasofia.org
Sailing Grand Slam: www.sailinggrandslam.com/

The Sailing Grand Slam consists of the four most iconic Olympic sailing events in Europe as well as a new regatta to be held in the host city of Los Angeles 2028:

• Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca (Mallorca, Spain): March 31-April 5
• Semaine Olympique Française (Hyères, France): April 19-26
• Kieler Woche (Kiel, Germany): June 21-29
• Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta (Long Beach, USA): July 12-20
• Dutch Water Week (Almere, The Netherlands): September 17-21

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program*:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Venue: Long Beach, CA
Dates: July 21-August 6

* World Sailing voted to keep the Paris 2024 Sailing Program for Los Angeles 2028, but the program is not final until the IOC approves all events, which usually occurs between December 2024 and January 2025. At that time, the IOC will also confirm the quota for sailing and how many medals.