SailGP Venue vs. Revenue

SailGP finally got to land in South America, with the inaugural Rio Sail Grand Prix taking place over the weekend. The debut was supposed to be in 2025, but after the collapse of the Australia team's wingsail in San Francisco, structural improvements were needed throughout the entire fleet and it was judged that they couldn’t complete the work in time for the Brazilian event that year. There’s no doubt that Rio pulled out all the stops for the event, and the grandstand was buzzing with the famous samba atmosphere. SailGP has been revolutionary for sailing in many aspects, and provides a visual spectacle unlike any other in the sport. Seeing the fleet of thirteen F50s racing (the fourteenth, the New Zealand Black Foils, are having a new boat built after their catastrophic collision) is impressive regardless of whether you’re a sailor or not. The problem with ‘Grandstand’ sailing though, is the race area is defined well in advance of the event, as it has to take place in front of the spectators, regardless of the prevailing conditions. This is where the conflicts between sport and entertainment become complex, and with SailGP, it is the entertainment which is winning out. To purists, this is an anathema: Sailing should always be on as fair a racecourse as possible, and if the fleet needs to go offshore to get an even wind, then so be it. But let’s get this straight, SailGP is an entertainment product. Fair is very low down in the priority list for a venue, and well behind getting a suitable location for the spectators, corporate hospitality, and iconic backgrounds. For the TV producers, having Sugarloaf Mountain and the 30-metre tall Art Deco statue of Christ the Redeemer framing the fleet is the priority, regardless of whether half the fleet is in full send mode and the others are wallowing in no wind. Read on at https://www.sail-world.com/news/295185/SailGP-Venue-vs-Revenue #sailgp #f50 #riodejaneiro