Qingdao, China is the latest venue to be added to the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) series schedule.
The Qingdao Match Cup taking place between October 19 - 24 has been added to the 2010 Tour calendar. During a ceremony hosted at the Yandao Hotel, the Vice Mayor of Qingdao Municipal Government, Wang Xiulin, who is also the President of the Qingdao Yachting Association and Peter Gilmour, President of the WMRT, signed a five year agreement through to 2014, to host an annual stage of the ISAF World Match Racing Tour.
The Qingdao Match Cup will take place nine days after the Argo Group Match Cup, held in the Hamilton Harbor.
Qingdao Match Cup will be utilizing 10 brand new Beneteau First 40 yachts to be delivered in mid July and the event will have as the new standard a total prize pool of USD$500,000. Racing will take place between the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre and the new city area that will host tens of thousands of spectators on a daily basis.
Qingdao is now the foremost location for sailing in China since hosting the sailing events for the 2008 Olympic Games. Being appointed as a World Match Racing Tour venue is yet another important milestone in the development of Qingdao's marine industry.
