World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, has renewed the Special Event status of the World Match Racing
Tour (WMRT) through to 2028.
The announcement comes after the July conclusion of the 2018-19 World Match Racing Tour Championship Final in Marstrand, Sweden which saw New Zealand’s Phil Robertson crowned Match Racing World Champion for the second time.
The Special Event Agreement – signed with EFB Group which took over ownership of the WMRT in December 2018 – will see World Sailing work with WMRT to promote the global tour.
Founded in 2000, WMRT promotes match racing around the world and is the longest-running global professional series in sailing. The WMRT represents a series of independently organised and officially sanctioned and graded match racing events.
WMRT is a match racing competition with racing taking place in identically supplied yachts which change for each event and which place a firm focus on teamwork, strategy and skill. Racing takes place close to shore to create stadium-style viewing for spectators.
Teams accumulate points from each of the events towards an overall WMRT global ranking. The top 12 ranked skippers compete in the WMRT Championship Finals at the end of the season to award the official World Sailing Match Racing World Championship.
Since 2000, WMRT has awarded over US$20 million in prize money to sailors – which has provided enormous help to advance the career pathways of many of today’s professional sailors.
Over the next 10 years, World Sailing will work with WMRT collaboratively to promote the growth of match racing and the world tour through various owned media channels, including social media and digital platforms, as well as extending the reach of the tour through traditional media.
World Sailing’s Sustainability Agenda 2030 sets out the sports ambitious plans to make a contribution to global sustainability and the WMRT have committed to working towards aligning the world tour and its events with the key principles. Within the World Sailing and WMRT Special Events agreement, the WMRT have signed up to World Sailing’s Special Event Sustainability Charter.
The WMRT continues its Special Event status as one of five sanctioned World Sailing Special Events which currently include SailGP, PWA World Tour, Star Sailors League and the Global Kitesports Associations freestyle world tours.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.WMRT.COM
