Extreme Sailing Series Tender & Selection Process for Venues Underway

The Tender and Selection process for venues interested in hosting an Extreme Sailing Series Act in 2014-17 has begun and there are four new venue slots available for 2014.

OC Sport, organisers of the event, has officially invited formal bids from cities and regions who are interested in hosting an Act.

There are four slots available after Singapore, China, UK and Brazil already committed to 2014 due to multi-year deals.

Bids are to be valued on the venues ability to deliver a suitable and ideally iconic venue that can facilitate the stadium racing concept.

Strong local government, tourism and authority support is also considered to be an important factor for bidders.

Francois Vergnol, Commercial Manager of the event at OC Sport said: “The Extreme Sailing Series format, we’ve learnt, can really go anywhere, deliver top class return and entertain. Downtown Istanbul, Flamengo Beach in Rio, Qingdao in winter-like conditions and just last week Muscat, the first Act of 2013 which started the year in style with the Extreme 40s racing in the heart of The Wave, Muscat.

“Our ideal Stadium is one with high concrete vertical walls, three metre deep water up to the edge so the boats can sailwithin a few metres in all conditions, in an iconic premium city, with a cityscape or iconic backdrop, within walking distance of a big population, and of course ideally with some great wind too!

“It needs to be in a market that sponsors care about, and it needs to be a city that gets engaged with its sports events and helps promote the event. Overall we look to exist each year on three or four continents, so that defines many of our venue decisions.”

Closing dates for applicants is 26 April 2013 and a shortlist will be made by 2 May.