Lining up for Lysekil

Largest cash prize on offer for women's match racing event

The international elite has now gathered for this week’s races in Lysekil, which are part of the world’s largest match racing event for women with a prize purse of SEK 400,000 (42,000 Euros)

In addition to last year’s winner, another two Swedish women will participate with their teams. A total of 12 of the world’s foremost female match racing skippers will participate, including the current world champion Claire Leroy from France and Lotta Meldgaard Pedersen from Denmark, ranked number two by the International Sailing Federation. Preem Petroleum and Stena Bulk are the main sponsors of the popular summer event in Lysekil.

“For some time now, we have been supporting Linda Rahm, who won the competition last year here in Lysekil," said Ulf G. Ryder, President and CEO of Stena Bulk AB. "In fact, we’re very much involved in the whole Rahm family and we were thus very pleased when Mattias Rahm triumphed in this year’s Match Cup Sweden in Marstrand. We are eagerly looking forward to this week’s races”,

Lysekil Women’s Match is being held for the fourth time. The event has attracted increasing interest and the number of spectators is expected to exceed last year’s more than 70,000 visitors by a wide margin. The sailing conditions are most often good and because of the currents, the competitors have to risk sailing close to the rocks. As a result, sail racing is very spectator friendly with the rocks as natural stands for the spectators.

Prior to this year’s races in Marstrand, a new trophy was introduced, Marstrand Lysekil Women’s Double, which will go to the best placed female team in Marstrand and Lysekil. Next year, 2009, Lysekil Women’s Match will have World Championship status, which should result in even greater interest.

The races are held everyday with the final on Saturday, while entertainment every evening is provided by well-known artists such as Tommy Nilsson, E.M.D. and Eric Gadd. On Tuesday, 29 July, the Municipality of Lysekil will arrange a debate with the theme ”Sun, wind and water” attended by several Swedish MPs.