For many of the America’s Cup sailors, including Sir Ben Ainslie (Land Rover BAR), Dean Barker (SoftBank Team Japan) and Franck Cammas (Groupama Team France), the waters off the Sultanate of Oman will be familiar territory, since Muscat has been hosting high performance multihull racing every year since 2011. Near perfect sailing conditions that consistently deliver a 10-15 knot breeze combined with a sunny climate and warm waters have made Oman a popular destination for many Olympic Classes that have chosen to stage their World Championships at a time of year when the weather in Europe and North America limits training opportunities.
The driving force behind the Sultanate’s sailing activity has been Oman Sail, which was established in 2008 to create a generation of sailors and raise the Sultanate’s profile as a high end tourism destination using its centuries old traditions with the sea as a platform to promote its sporting, cultural and economic potential. From grassroots sailing, introducing many thousands of girls and boys to the sport through its sailing schools and community programmes, through to elite participation, setting world records on its flagship MOD70 and winning two Extreme Sailing Series championships, Oman Sail has repeatedly broken new ground in its programmes both on and off the water, culminating in this exciting new development at the highest level of the sport, the America’s Cup.
“We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman here in Muscat for the first time and we are very proud and excited to welcome the America’s Cup community and its massive following to the Sultanate,” said Salim Al Mamari, Director General of Tourism Promotion for the Ministry of Tourism.
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