SAP 5O5 World Championships at Kieler YC preview

by Kieler Woche Pressesprecher on 26 Jan 2014 The SAP 5O5 World Championships 2014, hosted by Kieler Yacht-Club, will take place in Kiel, Germany from 13-22 August, 2014. More than 130 crews from over 15 nations are expected to descend on Kiel to compete for the title of SAP 5O5 World Champion.

In an action-packed year of international regattas at Kieler Yacht-Club, the SAP 5O5 World Championships will be the crowning event. After the Young Europeans Sailing, Kieler Woche and the ORC World Championship, the lightning-fast 5O5 dinghies will take to Kiel Bay to battle for the World Championship title.

SAP is proud to continue its partnership with the 5O5 class as the title sponsor of the 2014 Championship. Now entering the sixth year of the partnership, SAP will continue to develop its innovative sailing solutions to enhance the regatta for sailors, fans, organizers and media.

'SAP is committed to enhancing the 5O5 class experience. Through our partnership with the class, SAP technology will help sailors improve their performance, make it easier for fans to track and understand the race, streamline operations for regatta organizers and deliver real-time insights to broadcasters,' says Stefan Lacher, Head of Sponsorship Technology at SAP.

Jürgen Waldheim, Chairman of the German 5O5 Class Association, commented, 'I’m thrilled to be working with SAP, the company’s innovative solutions are transforming sailing around the world and will enable the regatta to run better.'

Together with SAP, the German 5O5 Class Association is leading the organization of the event with the Kieler Yacht-Club (KYC) and its marketing agency Point of Sailing.

'We are proud that such a prestigious regatta will take place in Kiel, the home of German sailing. Working with our partners, our priority is to make the SAP 5O5 World Championship 2014 an unforgettable regatta for the sailors and fans,' commented Nikolaus Rickers, Chairman of the Kieler Yacht-Club Regatta Committee and General Manager of Point of Sailing.

Last year’s SAP 5O5 World Championship saw Germany dominate the podium with Claas Lehman-Leon Oehme (Hamburg), Stefan Böhm-Gerald Roos (Cologne) and Wolfgang Hunger- Holger Jess claiming gold, silver and bronze respectively. This year the former three time World Champion, Holger Jess, will be crew for the world’s fastest helmswoman Meike Schomäker.

Speaking about this year’s Championship, Schomäker commented, 'It is extraordinary that the World Championship will take place in my hometown. It is also fantastic that SAP will be continuing their support of the regatta. We are looking forward to analyzing races with SAP sailing analytics and gaining insights from SAP experts, enabling us to sail faster and smarter.'

This summer will see teams from the USA, Australia, France and England (where the 5O5 dinghy was invented) head to the northern German town. However, one of the largest 5O5 training groups in the world is based in Kiel therefore a number of local teams will also be competing. Kieler Yacht-Club Chairman himself, Ulrich W. Ellerbeck will take to the water to compete in the regatta. The 61-year-old will jump into the fray as crew of Kay Ewaldsen, who won the German Championship in 1975 and 1976.

The competition kicks off in Kiel, Germany on August 13 with the Pre-Worlds Regatta followed by the SAP 5O5 World Championship from August 16-22. Online registration is live, and so far 23 teams from seven nations and four continents have entered.

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