ISAF Nations Cup regional final entry deadline extended

by ISAF on 24 Feb 2011 ISAF Nations Cup - In order to give more countries the opportunity to select their representatives, ISAF has agreed to extend the deadline for MNAs to submit their applications for the Nations Cup Regional Finals until 15 March 2011.

The entry form can be found in the Notice of Race here. The Notice of Race outlines the key details of the event, including the dates and venues, equipment and format of the Regional Finals and Grand Final.

The Notice of Race also includes the ISAF Member National Authority (MNA) allocations for the Regional Finals, ie which nations can compete in which Regional Final.

The ISAF Nations Cup is a global competition to find the world's top match racing nations in both open and women's events and to develop match racing infrastructure around the world. The Nations Cup encompasses a series of eight Regional Finals from March to July 2011, from which the top team will qualify for the ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final, which will take place in Sheboygan, USA from 13-18 September 2011.

Regional Finals will be held in South Africa, Bahrain, Austria, Portugal, Poland, USA, Australia and Brazil. The racing on the water in Bahrain, South Africa and Brazil will be preceded by an ISAF Match Racing Clinic, aimed to help develop match racing skills and officiating in that region.

The winners of the Regional Finals will progress through to the Grand Final, where they will be joined by representatives from the defending champions France, and the host nation, USA, to battle for the 2011 ISAF Nations Cup trophies in the open and women's events.

Following on from earlier editions in 1991, 1993 and 1995, the ISAF Nations Cup was successfully re-launched in 2006. The latest edition took place in 2009 with the Grand Final hosted by Porto Alegre in Brazil. In total 60 teams representing 39 MNAs participated in the 2009 ISAF Nations Cup. Eight Regional Finals decided the line up for the Grand Final at the Veleiros do Sul sailing club in Porto Alegre where France repeated their double victory from 2007 to retain the open title skippered by Damien Lehl (FRA) and the women's title skippered again by Claire Leroy (FRA).

Venues and Date

Grand Final (Open and Women) - Sheboygan, USA - 13-18 September 2011

Regional Finals
Africa (Open and Women) - Cape Town, South Africa - 5-8 May 2011
Asia (Open and Women) - Manama, Bahrain - 10-16 April 2011
Europe I (Open) - Gmunden, Austria - 2-5 June 2011
Europe I (Women) - Porto, Portugal - 13-20 June 2011
Europe II (Open and Women) - Gdynia, Poland - 19-23 July 2011
North America and Caribbean (Open & Women) - Fort Worth, Texas, USA - 15-21 May 2011
Oceania (Open and Women) - Sydney, Australia - 12-14 May 2011
South America (Open and Women) - Porto Alegre, Brazil - 24-27 March 2011

www.sailing.org/nationscup