America's Cup skippers to contest 2002 Laureus Regatta in tribute to Sir Peter Blake

by KOS Media on 11 May 2002 … US silver medallist and 2001 winner JJ Isler back to defend title
… Eight Nautor¹s Swan yachts compete in two-day match race
… Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony, May 14th in Monaco

Monaco, May 9, 2002: A strong line-up of America's Cup skippers and celebrities from the worlds of sport and film will be taking
part in the 2002 Laureus Regatta, in Monte Carlo on May 13 and 14. Sponsored by Officine Panerai and Mercedes-Benz, the sports
stars will be competing for the Panerai Trophy and a new Mercedes CLK 240 as first prize.

The match-racing regatta, which is sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation and organised by the yacht Club de Monaco
from Le Meridien Beach Plaza, is one of several high-class events leading up to the third annual Laureus World Sports Awards
ceremony on the evening of May 14. The regatta is also being held as a tribute to New Zealander Sir Peter Blake, one of yachting's
genuine legends and a Laureus World Sports Academy member who was tragically murdered by pirates while on an environmental
expedition in the Amazon last year.

Racing will be held in carefully matched yachts from Nautor's Swan range with the two qualifying crews competing in the Laureus
'Sport for Good' Final scheduled in two 80 footers. The grand final will also see celebrity and Laureus hosts taking part in the action.

The winning crew in Monaco will receive a specially crafted limited edition Officine Panerai watch while the winning skipper will take
home the new Mercedes CLK 240. Last year, 'JJ' Isler of the United States, silver medallist at the Sydney Olympics in the
women's 470 class, beat Ben Ainslie, Britain's gold medallist at the same Games in Laser class, in a thrilling match held close to
Monte Carlo's famous harbour. 'JJ' returns this year to defend her title while Ainslie is back for a second shot, still smarting from
his defeat last year. Other protagonists from last year who will be back to race include Tommaso Chieffi, who is currently with Larry
Ellison's Oracle Challenge for the America's Cup, and his fellow Italian Francesco Bruni, a member of the Prada Challenge.

Dawn Riley, skipper of the all-women Cup challenger Mighty Mary in 1995 and America True in 2000, will be a newcomer to the
event. Riley will be part of the French K-Challenge for the Cup in 2006. Olympic gold medallist Thierry Peponnet, who is aiming to
steer the French K-Challenge boat in 2006, will also compete in Monaco. GBR Challenge skipper Ian Walker will also be racing
because there is a natural break in his team's training schedule with the newly-launched Wight Lightning on her way to Auckland.
That will also allow Walker's team members Jim Turner and Jonathan Taylor to be Laureus boat hosts for the regatta. They will be
joined by 1964 Olympic silver medallist Keith Musto and Graham Walker, who was chairman of the British America's Cup challenge
in 1986-87. Jamie Boag is another boat host, although it has not yet been decided if he will be allowed on the same vessel as his
competitor wife Shirley Robertson. Shirley, who won the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics for the single-handed Europe class,
has collected bigger boat experience aboard the Swan 48 Jacobite and will be competing as one of the eight match race skippers
this year.

The Laureus World Sports Awards, the only worldwide awards ceremony to honour sporting excellence across all disciplines and all
continents, were established in 1999 by Founding Patrons DaimlerChrysler and Richemont. The awards celebrate the achievements
of the world's greatest sportsmen and women on an annual basis, and also contribute to social change through the Laureus Sport
for Good Foundation. The Foundation is financed by the Founding Patrons, with Deutsche Bank Private Banking acting as its
Trusted Private Bank.