Garda Trentino Olympic Week - World class action on the horizon

by Elena Giolai on 1 May 2014 The opening round of the Eurosaf Champions Sailing Cup will be held in the waters of Garda Trentino from the seventh-11th May. On view will be the whole range of Olympic sailing. Nearly 50 nations will be present to contest the prestigious Garda Trentino Olympic Week 2014.

The World Cup in Hyeres is over and the protagonists in Olympics sailing transfer in the second week of May from the seventh-11th to the waters of the Alto Garda for the first of five rounds of the Eurosaf Champions Sailing Cup. The Garda Trentino Week is the only round to be held here in Italy. This regatta involves all the sailing clubs who are associated with ‘Vela Garda Trentino’ and many of the athletes participating have only one objective, to arrive at the Olympics in Rio 2016!

After the ‘World Youth Sailing Week’ which took place during the week of Easter, the whole focus of the organisation Garda Trentino Vela is now focussed on the sailing classes that constitute the pinnacle of the sport as represented by the five rings of the Olympic logo. The double handed 470 male and female, 49er (male) and 49er FX (female) have their base at Fraglia Vela Riva with logistic support from the Riva branch of the Lega Navale Italiana. The Laser Standard (male) and Laser Radial (female) are based at the Circolo Vela Arco, whilst the Windsurfer one design RS-X’s are based at the Circolo Surf Torbole. The double handed mixed crew Nacra 17 and the Paralympic classes of 2.4, Skud and Sonar are all based at the Fraglia Vela Malcesine.

Unfortunately the regatta for the Finn class was cancelled due to a clash with their European Championship.

We are expecting the attendance of about 300 boats with their 450 crew members here in the waters of Garda Trentino. These athletes originate from 48 nations and the regatta has drawn competitors from as far afield as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, India and Uruguay. There are, in attendance a good number of medal winners from the recent World Cup which took place in Hyeres, they include The New Zealander Andy Maloney in the Laser Standard as well as The legendary Olympian and world champion Robert Scheidt who has made these his home waters. In the acrobatic 498er there are present Ruggero Tita who hails from the Trentino region and the Irish crew Seaton-Mcgovern who won Silver in the last World Cup. In the 49er FX the Italians Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich are looking to improve their position in the classification.

Idols of the Fraglia Vela Malcesine and in their home waters are Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri who in the spectacular catamaran the Nacra 17 arrive at the Garda Trentino Olympic week with two medals won recently in the World Cup. The Gold is fresh from the regatta in Hyeres and the Silver from the leg in Palma Majorca. These results have confirmed the Italians as amongst the strongest contenders in this new Olympic Vela Garda Fraglia Vela Riva