Following my earlier post today that SailGP were considering a Cowes event decision . . . They have now decided to scrap the rest of the 2020 SailGP season events.
Consequently, SailGP Season 2 events will be rescheduled for 2021.
Results from 2020 Sydney SailGP, won by Ben Ainslie’s Great Britain SailGP – the only completed event of the year – will be null and void.
Two of the four impacted events have new dates for 2021 – San Francisco on April 17-18 and New York on June 4-5.
SailGP also intends to return to the UK and Denmark during the rescheduled Season 2 in 2021, replacing racing previously planned for August and September of this year.
The rescheduled Season 2 is set to be expanded from five to a minimum of seven events during the year-long period beginning in April 2021, spanning to the early months of 2022.
Ainslie said: “This has of course been a huge challenge for the entire world, and in particular for healthcare workers on the frontline of this crisis. At the end of the day, this is sport, and we’ll get back out there when it’s safe for everyone involved.”
In a bid to protect the organization throughout this unpredictable period, SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts has temporarily forfeited his salary in its entirety, while remaining employees have voluntarily taken salary reductions effective through the end of the year.
The overall workforce has been tapered proportional to the current modified requirements, while the contracted athletes are being compensated for more than 50 percent of the planned season activity.
Coutts said: “We’ve created a lot of growth and momentum from our first six events, and are 100 percent committed to becoming a leading rights holder and advancing the sport in a way that has never been done before.”
“We’ll prioritize innovative improvements during this interim period, and then refocus on live events in early 2021.”
Related Post:
RSS – Posts