Latest news with #RolexSailGPChampionship
Perth Now
18 hours ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Bathers Beach to host launch of sailing championship
A sailing team co-owned by Hollywood stars Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds will be among competitors turning the waters off Fremantle into a grand prix for boats next year. More than 15,000 fans are expected at Bathers Beach when it hosts the inaugural Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG, from January 17 to 18. The grand prix will launch the 2026 season of the Rolex SailGP Championship, a global calendar of high-speed, close-to-shore events in which national teams compete on identical cutting-edge foiling catamarans. Competitors will include Australia's Bonds Flying Roos SailGP team, which is co-owned by Jackman and Reynolds. Bonds Flying Roos grinder Kinley Fowler said there was nothing like racing at home. 'Fremantle has some of the best sailing conditions in the world and getting the chance to race in front of family, friends and our local sailing community on Bathers Beach will be unforgettable,' he said. 'The energy here is unreal and fans are going to be blown away by how close the racing gets to the grandstand. 'We've always wanted to bring SailGP to the west coast and now we get to show the world what Perth's coastline is made of.' Coach Ben Durham said Fremantle was an iconic sailing venue and the event would put it and local talent on the map. The event is supported by the State Government through Tourism WA. Acting Tourism Minister Don Punch said the Perth Sail Grand Prix would be a fantastic spectacle. 'Being able to watch 50-foot catamarans sail past at speeds of over 100km/h from a grandstand just metres from the action, a pumping beach club, or from the water itself is certainly not an opportunity to be missed,' he said. '(It) will bring thousands of visitors to our State and generate millions of dollars in visitor spend, boosting our bars and restaurants, hotels and local businesses.' There will be a range of spectator experiences available, including a waterfront grandstand with live commentary, big-screen viewing, family-friendly activities and post-race entertainment on Bathers Beach. A map of the event. Credit: Supplied Spectators can also BYOB — Bring Your Own Boat — with an on-water front-row position to the high-speed action directly from their own boat inside the exclusion zone. SailGP managing director Andrew Thompson said bringing SailGP to Perth was a major milestone and perfect launch for the 2026 season. 'The new purpose-built Waterfront Grandstand, alongside the Beach Club, marks a significant step in elevating the fan experience and expanding our presence in one of our most passionate markets,' he said. For ticket and event details, visit Pre-sale starts on Friday, August 22, and general public tickets will be available from Thursday, August 28.
Time Out
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Don't miss out on the ultimate south coast sporting event of the summer
In preparation for the most exciting racing on water returning to UK shores this July, Portsmouth is gearing up to host its first-ever version of the long-awaited return of the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix across one action-packed weekend. Serving as the seventh stop of the Rolex SailGP Championship's 2025 season, there's a whole lot to play for – and even more to enjoy! From July 19 to July 20 2025, the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix will feature 12 national teams racing identical F50 foiling catamarans shore-side to the finish line – hitting speeds of up to 100kph! Home team – Emirates Great Britain – is led by Olympic gold medalist Dylan Fletcher, alongside three-time Olympic medalist and strategist Hannah Mills, you're in for some star-studded action from the get-go. SailGP's unique offering of close-to-shore stadium viewing allows fans the opportunity to get up close and personal to the action, with epic grandstand seating and a buzzing atmosphere in the Race Stadium and with Portsmouth's iconic Solent setting the ultimate backdrop for the high-speed, high-tech racing, there is no better place to experience this new era of Great British Racing. Fan of live music? SailGP's Aprés-Sail experience comes to life across the weekend with live entertainment by British singer-songwriter and pop star Tom Grennan on Saturday and legendary DJ Pete Tong headlining on Sunday, providing an atmosphere like no other. Artists will perform post-race alongside some truly unforgettable waterside entertainment, but the best part? All entertainment and live music is included in the ticket price, so you and 20,000 other racing fans can live your best lives all weekend at no additional cost! High-adrenaline global racing championship with a side of Aprés-Sail? Sign us up! The only catch? Tickets – that include a Waterfront Premium Lounge offering – are selling fast, so get yours before they go!
Newsweek
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
AI Impact Awards 2025: SailGP Delivers Data to Teams, Augmented Reality to Fans
How do you create an intimate fan experience for an event that takes place miles away from shore? Artificial intelligence. High-speed catamaran racing series SailGP is doing just that, providing fans with a deeper understanding of the sport and enhancing the entertainment factor. SailGP is the winner of Newsweek's AI Impact award in the category of Best Outcomes, Sports Broadcasting/Streaming for redefining data-led sports storytelling through AI to bring sailing to new fans. Each year, the Rolex SailGP Championship features 12 national teams battling for a title, sailing identical 50-foot catamarans at speeds well over 60 miles per hour. Racers from Great Britain, Switzerland and Australia, among others, race on waterfronts in New York City, Sydney, Auckland, Dubai and beyond. SailGP has taken a fan-first approach to the events, catering to both those in the grandstands and those watching at home. Broadcasts reach more than 200 million TVs across 212 countries and territories. During a race, SailGP uses Oracle Cloud Insights to process 56 billion points of data via 125 sensors on each boat. That data is received via a private 5G network using RF mesh. The result is a product called LiveLine, an augmented reality (AR) overlay tool that helps existing and new fans better understand the on-screen action of the races. "The use of AI almost feels like a natural progression, given that we're a sport that's heavily based on on data," Melissa Lawton, chief content officer at SailGP, told Newsweek. "And because we're such a data rich sport, we can do a lot with that." AI Impact Winner: SAIL GP AI Impact Winner: SAIL GP Newsweek Illustration No matter where the race is happening, LiveLine is produced from SailGP's offices in London. New graphics opportunities that push the boundaries of fan interactions are delivered to television screens. AI helps make that happen. Using AI image detection, the boat cameras detect human shapes, strides and biometrics to generate AR identifier graphics for athletes as they move around the boat. This helps viewers at home identify the individuals, who generally all look nearly identical to the naked eye with matching wetsuits, goggles and helmets. "The athletes go from side to side. And one of our really big issues was, as this camera is following athletes going from side to side, [viewers] couldn't really detect who the athletes were. And for a new viewer, everyone looks the same," Lawton said. "Using AI image detection to figure out the height of the athlete, the weight, their stride, length, their positioning, through that same sort of algorithm to then automatically pop the athlete's name above the head in a moving graphic. That graphic that sort of moves with them in augmented reality, in our augmented reality suite of graphics. This is revolution." Using AI predictions, SailGP can display to viewers which boat has the right of way while showing explainer graphics on the screen. SailGP was recognized as Best Outcomes, Sports Broadcasting/Streaming in the Sports category. There were more than a dozen, including ones focused on sustainability, health care and customer service. The 38 total winners were selected by a panel of AI and subject matter experts. Additionally, AI-powered race marks, developed in partnership with ePropulsion, use GPS, negating the need to anchor each mark to the sea bed, avoiding damaging the local environment. These marks have AI-operated cameras that use Oracle's anomaly detection software to predict which boats are most likely to experience an issue, crash or near miss. Lawton said: "If the boats look like they're about to collide, or in a position where they could be on a trajectory to collide immediately, or if something's not working optimally on the boat, it sends a signal directly to our data analysts and the team to give them a warning. "This anomaly detection is actually a medical tool that vendors of Oracle use to find medical issues within the human body. They can sort of say, 'this is an unusual cell,' or deep detection of a medical issue can be found by using literally data and analytics through AI." Buoys equipped with cameras are able to capture footage that is traditionally unavailable. "They are in the middle of the racecourse in, I would say, an area that would be too dangerous for a human to be gives us really cool shots that we can post either immediately to social [media] and really fun and weird shots that we can send straight out that our fans love. SailGP's AI-enhanced race coverage for television audiences. SailGP's AI-enhanced race coverage for television audiences. SailGP "It gives us another angle on crashes that we wouldn't have just through our broadcast available camera... I would say it's a camera that's always knowing where the excitement might be happening, and therefore is more efficient for us," Lawton said. Efficiencies have been achieved in procuring and producing video, as well as gathering and understanding data, but that doesn't mean SailGP is eliminating positions within the company. Instead, they're growing their team, capitalizing on priorities and opportunities as it builds its audience. "In live sports, the faster we can get content out, the faster we can get relevant content out, the more consistently we can get it out, the better it is for our overall viewership and numbers down the line," Lawton said. To see the full list of AI Impact winners, visit the official page for Newsweek's AI Impact Awards. Newsweek will continue the conversation on meaningful AI innovations at our AI Impact Summit from June 23 to 25 in Sonoma, California. Click here for more information and to register for the event.
Business Wire
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Ares Management Acquires Stake in France SailGP Team
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SailGP announced today that Ares Sports, Media and Entertainment funds ('Ares') have acquired a minority stake in the France SailGP Team. The strategic investment marks Ares' entry into SailGP, reinforcing the growing momentum behind the global racing championship. The firm joins a consortium of investors in the France SailGP Team, including international football superstar Kylian Mbappé. SailGP Managing Director Andrew Thompson said, 'Today is an exciting milestone for SailGP, as we welcome Ares to our growing group of investors and team owners. The investment in our French team by an organization with a stellar portfolio of first-rate sports properties underlines the strength of SailGP's global league model and reinforces the commercial potential of our teams. Ares brings both institutional capital and deep strategic insights – they'll be a highly-valuable collaborator in growing the French team and the Rolex SailGP Championship more broadly.' Jim Miller, Co-Lead of Ares' Sports, Media and Entertainment strategy said, 'SailGP has achieved impressive growth across its teams, viewership and engagement, and we are thrilled to enter the league and join the France SailGP Team's existing owners group at this inflection point. With the team's expanding ecosystem of dedicated athletes, sponsors and fans, alongside Ares' experience investing in premier global sports teams, we are eager to lend our capabilities as the team continues to build on its momentum.' A leading global alternative investment manager, Ares Management has an extensive track record in sports, media and entertainment investing. Ares' investment in the France SailGP team expands its existing portfolio of professional sports team investments, including Inter Miami CF, McLaren Racing and Atlético de Madrid, among others. ABOUT SAILGP | The most exciting racing on water, the Rolex SailGP Championship sees national teams battling it out in identical high-tech, high-speed 50-foot foiling catamarans at iconic venues around the world. Racing faster than the wind at speeds approaching 100 km/h (60 mph), SailGP is driven by the sport's top athletes, with national pride, personal glory, and a total prize money of US $12 million at stake. Visit to find out more.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
HUGH JACKMAN AND RYAN REYNOLDS TAKE THE HELM AS CO-OWNERS OF THE 'BONDS FLYING ROOS', AUSTRALIA'S SAILGP TEAM
A new era begins as iconic Aussie brand BONDS joins as Title Partner of the 'BONDS Flying Roos' SailGP Team NEW YORK, June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Australia's three-time SailGP champions have unveiled a new identity as well as two new co-owners - Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds - who join Driver and CEO Tom Slingsby in leading the freshly rebranded BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team. That's right, under its new ownership BONDS underwear will now be keeping the "down under" region of these aquatic Aussie athletes totally race-ready in its famously comfy undies. New co-owners Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds commented, "We're incredibly excited to set sail together in this new adventure. Hugh brings a deep love for and pride in his home country as well as being an avid fan of sailing. He will also be bringing his overly clingy emotional support human along for the ride. Apologies in advance to Australia. No comment on whether we're writing this in our BONDS. No further questions." Founded in 2019 by Sir Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison, SailGP pits 12 national crews in identical 50-foot foiling catamarans, ripping past 100 km/h just metres from shore in the world's most iconic harbours. Led by Olympic gold medallist Slingsby, Australia has owned the leaderboard, three championships in four seasons, and now embarks on a new chapter aimed at super-charging fan engagement far beyond the dock. The BONDS multi-year partnership marks the first time the Australian SailGP Team has had a Title Partner. As both Official Title Partner and Official Underwear Partner, BONDS brings more than a century of Aussie heritage - and signature comfort - to the BONDS Flying Roos. The BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team will make their official debut under their new name and ownership at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix from June 7-8. The Australian crew aims to defend their leading position on the leaderboard while striving for a memorable victory to celebrate their new co-owners and partners. ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR MEDIA// ANNOUNCEMENT IMAGERY ANNOUNCEMENT VNR-Tom Slingsby interview & B-Roll B-ROLL FOOTAGE- Best of Team Australia action B-ROLL FOOTAGE – Best of SailGP action ABOUT SAILGP// The most exciting racing on water, the Rolex SailGP Championship is a global championship with national teams battling it out in identical high-tech, high-speed 50-foot foiling catamarans at iconic venues around the world. Racing faster than the wind at speeds exceeding 100 km/h // 60mph, the Rolex SailGP Championship is driven by the sport's top athletes, with national pride, personal glory, and bonus prize money of US$12 million at stake. Powered by nature - wind, sea and sun - driven by purpose, SailGP races for a better future. Visit to find out more. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE SailGP Sign in to access your portfolio
