Gladwell's Line- Louis Vuitton World Series in Match Racing headwinds

by Richard Gladwell on 12 Sep 2009
Just days after being launched in Paris, the Louis Vuitton World Series would seem to be beating into a stiffening breeze.

At the launch of the new Series along with the World Sailing Teams Association, questions were immediately raised as to how the new event would work with the existing World Match Racing Tour; and how the Association could use 'World' in its name without the prior sanction of the governing body of sailing, the International Sailing Federation.

Scott MacLeod, is Director of the World Match Racing Tour, and went through a similar, but more protracted exercise with the world body, over the same issues, culminating in a deal that was struck, in principle, in just 15minutes with the ISAF Executive.

That deal ended a difficult situation which had started many years previously as various individual match racing regattas around the world decided to join hands and create a world circuit. That mantle was then taken a step further with the formation of the World Match Racing Association, and with an unofficial world title being contested.

The tour led to the formation of the Swedish Match World Tour, which conflicted with the ISAF's World Match Racing Championship.

After the ban cut in on tobacco products advertising, MacLeod's organisation was in the market for a new sponsor, and a situation that had been described as two sharks circling one another was bought to a satisfactory conclusion - and a new beginning with the creation of the World Match Racing Tour, which now runs for nine months of the year with nine regattas staged in Europe, Scandinavia and Asia.

Part of the deal struck between World Match Racing Tour and the International Sailing Federation was to give the then fledgling tour some protection against other start up match racing regattas (which weren't embraced by the new world championship) from forming a rival world circuit.

That agreement is at the genesis of the issues between the World Match Racing Tour and the new Louis Vuitton World Series.

Macleod makes it clear that he does not have objections to the Louis Vuitton World Series as such.

'I don’t have any issue with the Louis Vuitton World Series concept and what they are trying to do for the sport and the sailors that also participate on our World Tour,' MacLeod told Sail-World. 'Bruno (Trouble) and Louis Vuitton have been great supporters and promoters of sailing.

'However, you need to work within the system and make sure that you have the rights to do what you are doing and get the proper approvals from ISAF.

'I have no doubt that we will be able to work though these issues and come out with a positive outcome for sailing in these difficult times.'

However there's an iron fist in that velvet glove.

Although some of the issues relating to the use of the title 'World' are contained in ISAF Regulations, many interpret these to be related to preventing the proliferation of events touting themselves as 'World Championships'. The Louis Vuitton World Series does not claim itself as a World Championship, instead saying there will just be an overall winner of the series. The reality is that all teams might not, in fact, probably will not, compete in all events. It is likely that there will be more emphasis on the individual events themselves, and with the focus on all important bragging rights as to who won the last event, and who is going to win the next.

In short, each team will have its own goals - whether that be just to compete for a startup team, or to win for a well established team.

The evolving culture of the Louis Vuitton World Series and surrounding festivities will make it likely that no two events will be the same, which is quite different from a World Championship - which looks to breed consistency.

MacLeod claims his Tour's contractual strength comes from outside the ISAF Regulations and in an agreement he struck with the world body to protect his property, the World Match Racing Tour.

Sail-World put three questions to Scott MacLeod in respect of his agreements covering the World Match Racing Tour:

S-W:Do you have an agreement with ISAF giving WMRT the rights to run the World Championship of match racing?

MacLeod: Yes, we do. We have a legally binding contract signed in 2006 to run the ISAF World Match Racing Championship with ISAF as a series of events culminating in the crowning of the ISAF World Match Racing Champion. The series is run under the banner of the World Match Racing Tour or World Tour. The World Match Racing Tour is the longest running professional sailing circuit, since 2000 (Swedish Match Tour) and with over 15 years of heritage as the elite series for America’s Cup helmsmen and crew. The World Match Racing Tour now includes 10 events around the globe. The Tour is currently producing over 12,000 minutes of live and highlight sailing content being broadcast to over 100 countries around the world. The Tour includes the leading America’s Cup team and independent teams representing the sports key figures. As the Tour has developed the prize money for the teams has grown and currently stands at over $1 million in prize money.

S-W:Do you have an agreement with ISAF giving WMRT the right to veto any new match racing event that might compete with the WMRT?

MacLeod: Yes, we are protected under our legal agreement with ISAF with any series or events that would compete or conflict with our series.

S-W:In your view, does ISAF have the right to stop a sailing organisation using 'World' in its name without ISAF sanction as you did prior to 2006 with World Match Racing Association?

MacLeod: Yes, I believe they do and should. Sport needs to have a clear structure and rules in place to be seen as legitimate, fair and unbiased. In all of the professional sports where I have experience, it is paramount the Governing Body (ISAF here) provide this structure for the public and media. It’s very easy to work within the ISAF system. They are just a phone call or email away and will respond to questions regarding sanctioning and your rights to promote or run a certain event on an international level.

Earlier Scott MacLeod claimed that he had not been approached prior to the announcement in Paris, last Tuesday of the Louis Vuitton World Series, and at that stage had not spoken to the organisers.

While MacLeod's assertions in regards to match racing event rights may seem rather high-handed to some, the reality is that in a commercial environment, and given the circumstances that had existed between the ISAF Match Racing Championship and the Swedish Match Tour, some protection needed to be put in place to ensure that the same situation did not arise again. Otherwise there was no point in going down that path.

Other substantial Match Racing regattas still existed, and would have been eminently capable of forming into a new secondary circuit.

The prospect of other match racing events competing for space and revenue a very small television market, was also very real - meaning both would probably fail.

Part of the deal too, involved MacLeod folding in his Swedish Match tent with that of the ISAF Tour, meaning that there was no going back and a substantial business risk.

Rolling forward three years, and with probably 25-30 professional racing teams involved in sailing, it is hard to see how or why these agreements can or should be used to prevent the birth of the Louis Vuitton World Series. And similarly so for any rights that that past, current and future America's Cup Trustees may feel are being compromised, by the advent of the Louis Vuitton World Series.

At the presentation in Paris on Tuesday, the World Sailing Teams Association was announc