Open Sea for the talented young sailors

Foto: EL INDEPENDIENTE

To be held in Barcelona this summer, the 37th America’s Cup will feature a competition for young people, and, for the first time, a competition for a women’s team.

Running alongside the main Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup competition, there will be a total of 12 teams competing in the UniCredit Youth Americas Cup, and the Puig Women’s Americas Cup. These 12 teams belong to the 6 nationalities of the teams in the main competition, plus a further 6:

1. New Zealand: Emirates Team New Zealand Women’s Team and Emirates Team New Zealand Youth Team.
2. United Kingdom: Athena Pathway Women’s Team and Athena Pathway Youth Team.
3. Switzerland:Alinghi Red Bull Racing Women’s Team and Alinghi Red Bull Racing Youth Team.
4. Italy: Luna Rosa Prada Pirelli Women’s Team and Luna Rosa Prada Pirelli Youth Team.
5. USA: NYYC American Magic Women’s Team and NYYC American Magic Youth Team.
6. France: Orient Express Racing Women’s Team and Orient Express Racing Youth Team.
7. Spain: Sail BCN Women’s Team and Sail BCN Youth Team.
8. Holland: Dutchsail Women’s Team and Dutchsail Youth Team.
9. Canada: AC40 Canada Women’s Team and AC40 Canada Youth Team.
10. Germany: Germany Women’s Team and Germany Youth Team.
11. Sweden: Swedish Challenge Women’s Team Powered by Artemis Technologies and Swedish Challenge Youth Team Powered by Artemis Technologies.
12. Australia: Australia Challenge Women’s Team and Australia Challenge Youth Team.

Young promise

The America's Cup youth competition has been held twice before, the first time in San Francisco in 2013 and the second in Bermuda in 2017. Seven years on, Barcelona will be holding the 3rd UniCredit Youth America’s Cup between September 17 and 26.

Those selected for the Spanish team are Albert Torres, Neus Ballester, Marcos Fernández, Martín Wizner, Conrad Konitzer, Nico Martin, Jaime Framis and Antonio Torrado, all between 18 and 26 years of age. The team is now preparing to face 11 other top-level international teams, the six that are also competing in the America’s Cup (New Zealand, Great Britain, USA, Italy, Switzerland and France) and five additional teams, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Sweden and Austria.

In addition to training for the the Youth America’s Cup in 2024, the members of the Spanish team aim to be a model for young people competing in other sailing disciplines and to attract more young people to the sport.

The Women’s competition

Puig Women's America's Cup, the first women’s competition in the history of the America's Cup, will be contested between October 5 and 13 and features more than 50 professionals.

The Spanish team includes Támara Echegoyen, Maria Cantero Izquierdo, Silvia Mas, Paula Barceló Martín, and Neus Ballester, who is also part of the youth team. Támara Echegoyen and Sílvia Más have also competed at the Olympics.

Sail Team BCN

The aim of Sail Team BCN is to find ways of enabling a pool of talented sailors to compete in all categories of the America's Cup Sailing in the future.

Under the command of sailor Guillermo Altadill, veteran of more than 7 Atlantic races, Olympian, and participant in the 2007 Valencia America's Cup, Sail Team BCN has two AC40 yachts and will be based in Barcelona Port Olímpic.

The two teams are currently training off Sitges, but will be moving later to their bases located in the newly-renovated Port Olimpic.

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