NZL Sailing Team- Laser sailor added to NZ team for Olympic Test Event

by Sail-World.com NZL on 5 Jul 2015 Andy Maloney has been selected to join the NZL Sailing Team group to represent New Zealand at the 2015 Aquece Rio International Regatta on this August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

25 year old Maloney who sails in the single-handed Laser class, join the six New Zealand crews already named to compete at this year’s test event being staged at the 2016 Olympic venue. New Zealand is allowed to enter all ten events, and on the basis of what has been announced will not be represented in the Womens Single-hander and Mens and Womens Windsurfing classes.

During 2015 Maloney has placed inside the top ten at all three ISAF Sailing World Cup series regattas with a fourth at Miami (January), ninth at Hyeres (April) and seventh at Weymouth just last month. He also took victory at the 2015 Laser National Championships and won the Laser class at Oceanbridge Sail Auckland.

New Zealand will be represented in seven events by the following sailors:

Andy Maloney – Laser (Men’s single-handed dinghy)
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke - 49er (Men’s skiff)
Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech - 49erFX (Women’s skiff)
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie - Women’s 470 (Women’s double-handed dinghy)
Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox - Men’s 470 (Men’s double-handed dinghy)
Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders - Nacra 17 (Mixed multihull)
Josh Junior - Finn (Men’s heavy-weight dinghy)

The Aquece Rio - International Sailing Regatta 2015, often referred to as the Olympic Test Event, is a dress rehearsal for the 2016 Olympic Sailing Regatta.

Aquece Rio - International Sailing Regatta 2015 features Olympic size fleets, uses the same race course areas and the base facilities of the Olympic venue that will be the setting for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games sailing.

The regatta runs from 15 – 22 August, will be based at Marina da Gloria on Rio’s inner harbour, and is based on the same format and schedule for racing that will be used one year on at the Rio Olympic Games.

In Olympic sailing a maximum of one crew can represent each qualified nation in each of the Olympic events.