61st Genoa International Boat Show: A full house for a thrilling line-up of Italian sports champions

61st Genoa International Boat Show: A full house for a thrilling line-up of Italian sports champions © Confindustria Nautica

An exciting third day today here at the 61st Genoa International Boat Show, dedicated to Italy's greatest sailing athletes, with events featuring the crew from Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, Olympic gold medallists Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, Paralympic gold medallist Francesco Bocciardo and ocean sailor Giancarlo Pedote.

• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team, Olympic gold medallists Vela Caterina Banti and Ruggero Tita and Giancarlo Pedote were all present for day 3 of the event
• The boat show takes to the waves as the 33rd edition of the Millevele regatta sets sail: Tomorrow at 11:30 the prize ceremony

Upon arrival, the guest athletes were invited to the Confindustria Nautica Deck by Saverio Cecchi, President of Confindustria Nautica - the Italian Marine Industry Association, Marina Stella General Director of Confindustria Nautica and Alessandro Campagna Commercial Director of I Saloni Nautici.

This was followed by a triumphant reception of excited visitors who flocked to the Breitling Theatre to take part in the event "The Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli wind blows into the Genoa Boat Show", a panel with the Italian team who this year won the Prada Cup in New Zealand, just shy of winning the America's Cup. On stage were skipper Max Sirena, Operations Manager Gilberto Nobili and Design Coordinator Horacio Carabelli, alongside Sky Sport journalist Eleonora Cottarelli. Together the panellists retold their most salient moments from the Luna Rossa campaign, discussing curiosities and details that had not been previously revealed to the public, unexplored tales of one of the most exciting and long-lasting experiences of Italian sailing history. With a glimpse of the team's future and that of the America's Cup itself.

"Being here for the Genoa International Boat Show is always an exciting and emotional experience for me. It is such a thrill to meet so many sailing enthusiasts and fans of Luna Rossa", stated Team Director and skipper Max Sirena "The America's Cup is a competitive, technological and innovation-focused event, it takes a lot of parts to assemble a challenge and time is never on your side. We're now waiting for the new rules but we still have a part of the team that is always active in Cagliari, ready to get going at full pace when the time comes. Interpreting the best solution based on the rules will be key, since it will be the best boat that wins the Cup".

The event was followed by a broader panel where the Luna Rossa team was joined by Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti, the Italian duo who claimed the gold in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Nacra 17, and Giancarlo Pedote, the ocean sailor who, only the day before, Friday 17th September, on the same stage at the Breitling Theatre, announced his intention to take on the next Vendée Globe Challenge, the solo race around the world without any assistance or stops, scheduled to take place in 2024. A real treat for the Genoa International Boat Show audience where visitors enjoyed a single stage packed with Italy's most accomplished athletes of 2021. The audience was thrilled and could hardly contain themselves as they celebrated their sporting heroes".

The afternoon saw a series of events organised by the Italian Sailing Federation, which kicked off with the presentation of the 2022 calendar for key regattas taking place throughout Italy. This was followed by the prize ceremony for the most successful Federation sailing schools over the course of a year. For the second time running the Best Sailing School Award went to the Cagliari Windsurfing Club, and its President Andrea Casponi.

The day ended with an in-depth discussion centred around the Gold medal won in Tokyo by Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti in the mixed Nacra 17 class. An exceptional moment for Italian sailing which, with insights from the President of the Italian Sailing Federation Francesco Ettorre, his Vice President Giuseppe D'Amico and Technical Director of the Olympic Team Michele Marchesini, the speakers described key moments of the exciting story that led to this extraordinary moment for Italian sport on the global stage.

"A magnificent day, unforgettable!", stated Ettorre, "a true homage to Italian sailing which is currently enjoying the world's spotlight, thanks not only to the Tita-Banti victory in Tokyo, but also to the many victories claimed by Luna Rossa and the oceanic achievements of Giancarlo Pedote. And let's not forget the enormous influx of newly registered sailors, or the sailing schools, which this year experienced a real boom in interest. We are finally enjoying the results of years of hard work, ad we are doing so with great satisfaction and pride".

Today also saw 200 teams on the starting line at 11:00 am ready to tackle the 33rd edition of the Millevele regatta. The award ceremony for the race will take place tomorrow, Sunday 19th September, at 11:30 am on the Blue Pavilion Terrace. Among the prizes to be handed out will be the first ever Confindustria Nautica Award, from the Italian Marine Industry Award, to be assigned to the boat that finishes with the best result in each group, out of those belonging to shipyards taking part as exhibitors in the Genoa International Boat Show.