Qingdao confirmed

Volvo Ocean Race announce Chinese stopover

The port city of Qingdao was today officially confirmed as the China stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 with the signing of an agreement between race organisers and the Qingdao Municipal Government.

Qingdao’s selection as the stopover on the marathon ocean race’s new route through the Middle East and Asia follows more than six months of negotiations and evaluation.

The race CEO Glenn Bourke was in Qingdao for an official signing ceremony with the city’s Vice Mayor Zang Aimin who said that Qingdao, which is hosting the 2008 Olympic Games sailing regatta, was seeking to establish itself as China’s city of sailing.

"With its selection as the stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race, Qingdao can further enhance its positioning and strategy. Qingdao will gain rich experience in the organisation of elite sailing competition following its hosting of the Olympic Games," Zang said at the signing ceremony. "With our professional talent and world-class facilities, we believe Qingdao will be able to provide high-quality service to the world’s premier round the world event – the Volvo Ocean Race."

Bourke said the race’s stopover in China for the first time was a milestone in the history of international ocean racing. “Qingdao’s facilities and the city’s enthusiastic support for our event have left a deep impression on us. We are really looking forward to coming here in early 2009,” he said. The fleet will arrive around the spring festival and stay for about three weeks.

Bourke and a team of race officials visited Qingdao in April after signing a co-operation agreement in Beijing with the Chinese Water Sports Administration Centre and the Chinese Yachting Association.

Race organisers have held discussions with a number of Chinese ports and there is still the potential for a second city to be selected as a pit stop before the fleet sails its longest leg, 12,000 nautical miles, to South America. Among the other cities, Shanghai appears the most likely but negotiations are continuing.

Qingdao, home of the famous Tsingtao beer, will serve as the main stopover with in-port racing and a pro-am event as part of the programme.

The race, established in 1973 as the Whitbread Round the World Race and lasting more than nine months, will journey more than 39,000 nautical miles and visit up to 12 countries and ports on its new route.

After its start in Alicante, Spain, in mid-October 2008, the fleet sails via Cape Town in South Africa  to the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia before its stop in China ahead of its longest leg to South America. It then stops in Boston on the U.S. East Coast and sails to Galway on Ireland’s west coast on the way to a Baltic port finish and a possible conclusion in St Petersburg.