World Cup Final places available by request

ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne day 1 © Sport the library / Jeff Crow

The first offer to be part of the Sailing World Cup Final, Melbourne in December made to the top 20 ranked in each Olympic class by the world sailing body has reaped high calibre entries from multiple countries including Spain, Turkey, Italy, Norway, Croatia, Great Britain and Denmark.

World Sailing and Sailing World Cup Melbourne event organisers now invites all Olympic and 2.4 Norlin OD sailors keen to head to Port Phillip in December and vie for a slice of the $200,000 AUD to request an invitation to fill the remaining places in the fleets.

All requests will be collected and reviewed by 14 July and email invitations will be sent at 11:00 UTC on 15 July. Fleets are limited to just 20 boats per class and the only way competitors can secure their place is by paying the entry fee.

Should there be more requests than places available, invitations will be offered in order of World Ranking to reward and recognise sailors who have worked their way up. If places are offered through the rankings, sailors will have 48 hours to pay the entry fee before the invitation will be offered to the next skipper.

Antonio Gonzalez de la Madrid, Sailing World Cup Manager said, "St Kilda is a perfect destination to celebrate the newly crowned heroes from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The winds, the warm weather and the local Melbournians will be right behind these amazing athletes."

Gold medal chance at the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Australian Laser sailor Tom Burton took time out from his busy Games preparation to comment on the Southern Hemisphere hosting the climax of the year-long series for the first time.

"To have the final of the Sailing World Cup in Melbourne this year will be fantastic," Burton said. "The Melbourne regatta is always a great event and I'm looking forward to sailing against a strong fleet of Laser sailors from both Australia and abroad this year."

Cypriot Pavlos Kontides, silver medallist in the Laser class at the London 2012 Games and a medal hope for Rio, is one of many internationals signed on for Melbourne. If he medals next month on Rio's Guanabara Bay, Kontides will receive a travel grant and logistical support to attend the Final in December, an incentive that will be extended to all Olympic medallists.

The 2016 Sailing World Cup Final, from 4 – 11 December 2016 at the St Kilda Sailing Precinct brings the 2015-16 world series season full circle. Melbourne hosted the opening event last December before a stop in Miami, USA at the end of January. Two stops in Europe in Hyères, France and Weymouth & Portland, Great Britain lead into Sailing World Cup Qingdao in September and then December's showcase.

Fleet sizes are limited to just 20 boats and with many new teams' eager to kick start their Tokyo 2020 Campaign, there is likely to be strong competition, especially given the opportunity to race against the recently crowned Olympic medallists.

For the chance to race in Melbourne, please submit your request for entry here.

For more information on the event visit www.sailingworldcupmelbourne.com