Omega Match Racing Team Introduced in Bermuda

by Shawn McBride on 26 Oct 2003 HAMILTON, Bermuda (October 25, 2003) – At a press breakfast this morning, prestige Swiss watchmaker OMEGA, the official timekeeper of the Investors Guaranty Presentation of the King Edward VII Gold Cup, presented its new match racing team. Skippered by OMEGA ambassador Dean Barker, the OMEGA Match Racing Team made its debut this week in Bermuda and will be competing at future Swedish Match Tour events.

‘We are very pleased to announce the OMEGA Match Racing Team, here at the King Edward VII Gold Cup,’ said Patrick Buteux, special events manager for OMEGA. ‘We started our involvement with this event in 1990 and it makes perfect sense to present them here.’

In explaining OMEGA’s decision to support Barker’s efforts on the Swedish Match Tour, Buteux offered, ‘We felt we could help the Swedish Match Tour by having as many teams competing on the Tour as possible and we are also supporting one of our celebrity spokespersons, in Dean, to compete as often as he can on the Swedish Match Tour with a team he picks.’

‘OMEGA will support the team by paying for travel costs to the Swedish Match Tour events. This arrangement is good for the sport, good for Dean and good for Team New Zealand,’ continued Buteux.

Barker is grateful and enthusiastic about the formation of the OMEGA Match Racing Team. ‘It’s great for us because Team New Zealand is in a rebuilding stage and it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to get back on the Swedish Match Tour and hopefully get back to the level we were in the past.’

That past level would be a lofty position for the skipper of Team New Zealand, as Barker has won four events on the Swedish Match Tour, second only to Sweden’s Magnus Holmberg (six) and tied with Denmark’s Jesper Radich. Barker was also second overall on the inaugural Swedish Match Tour, tied for fifth on Swedish Match Tour 2000/2001 and finished sixth on Swedish Match Tour 2001/2002.

Competing with Barker this week in the first incarnation of the OMEGA Match Racing Team are long-time Team New Zealand mates James Dagg and Tony Rae, as well as British Olympic laser gold medallist Ben Ainslie.

For all the latest news from the Swedish Match Tour visit www.swedishmatchtour.com.