The Ocean Race, in 1,000 days it arrives in Genoa. Brisius announces the European version of the regatta.
At the Genoa Boat Show, Richard Brisius announced the birth of The Ocean Race Europe: “You need ambition and passion and you Italians have the most passion of all”
At the Genoa Boat Show, Richard Brisius announced the birth of The Ocean Race Europe: “You need ambition and passion and you Italians have the most passion of all”
In a thousand days Genoa will celebrate the grand finale of The Ocean Race, the regatta that will go around the world in 2022 and 2023, to finally end under the shadow of the Lanterna.
After the announcement of the one-year delay caused by Covid, in the Ligurian capital, the long road continues towards an event that, in June 2023, will bring the final leg of the 50th regatta to the city.
The sailing world tour will also be enriched with a version reserved just for Europe. This is The Ocean Race Europe. Announcing it was the patron of the regatta, Richard Brisius, on the stage at the 60th Genoa Boat Show. “I came to Genoa 30 years ago – said Brisius – on an Italian boat that had travelled around the world. To do The Ocean Race, you need ambition and passion and you Italians have the most passion of all. In the competition there will be classes for Monotype, Vo 65 and the new class, Imoca 60.”
Now Genoa, which in 2024 will be the European Capital of Sport, is looking for investors. “The Ocean Race – explained the mayor, Marco Bucci – is an exceptional tool for promotion.” “We had the courage – added the president of the Liguria Region, Giovanni Toti – to open the first boat show in the world and to bring to Genoa the finale of The Ocean Race, just like those teams have courage every day at sea. Courage does not, however, mean brazenness. In the past, boating was considered to be almost a fault, like something only for the rich. I am more interested in the people working to built these boats and who are proud that Liguria has become the centre of this production”.
“The Ocean Race – concluded Toti – will be a giant event for tourist, economic and industrial promotion. And since I believe that creating networks is the best way to help the country’s economy grow, I wouldn’t mind the idea of an encompassing Boating District, which includes Liguria and Tuscany.”
The challenge for Genoa is to be better than the last edition of the regatta, which concluded in Holland, when at the final arrival village there were 337,152 participants. The estimated economic impact for Genoa and Liguria is a turnover of 150 million euros.
Giuseppe Orrù
