Trofeo Princesa Sofía: The first 2018 major Olympic sailing event

The Mallorca regatta will be the kick off for the European circuit and will show the level of the teams battling to qualify their nations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The 49th edition of the Trofeo Princesa Sofía IBEROSTAR will be held from 30th March to 7th April in the bay of Palma de Mallorca. It is the most important Olympic sailing event in Spain and worldwide: around 1.000 sailors from over 50 nations are expected in Mallorca. The Spanish sailing event is the first International Olympic class’s event in the European calendar and therefore gathers together a high number of teams trying to qualify for Tokyo 2020.

With the second Olympic cycle underway, the Sofía IBEROSTAR is set to become a key  event to measure the team’s and sailors’ performance level before the World Sailing Championships to be held this year in Aarhus, Denmark, the first opportunity to classify nations for the Olympic Games.

Ferran Muniesa, race manager, assures that “this new edition will see a high level in the racing areas as it is a key year for sailors”. Muniesa also expects a “high participation” and hopes the Sofía IBEROSTAR continues to be regarded as “the most appreciated and valued event” by the International fleet. “We work hard throughout the year to offer a unique event both ashore and at sea; we are endorsed by almost 50 years of experience and we have the best professionals in our team” highlights the race manager. 

The bay of Palma will welcome once again the top World sailors that will race against each other over a six day event. Club Nàutic S’Arenal and Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa will be the venues for Olympic classes. S’Arenal will be host to the Finn, 470 M & W, 49er & 49er FX and Can Pastilla will be the venue for Laser, Laser Radial, RS:X M & W and Nacra 17.

For second consecutive year, Real Club Náutico de Palma, one of the organising clubs together with Arenal and Can Pastilla, will be the venue for ORC and One design classes. The Sofía IBEROSTAR for ORC and One design classes will be held from 29th  March to 1st April. The Olympic classes’ regatta will start on 31 March with registration and measurement. Races are scheduled from 2nd  to 7th  April with a qualifying series with 10 to 15 races (depending on each class) and a Medal Stage, the great final to decide the podium in each category as well as the absolute winner of the 49 Trofeo Princesa Sofía IBEROSTAR.

The weather conditions for sailing in Mallorca make of the Trofeo Sofia one of the favourite events for International teams that take the opportunity to move their training venues to the Bay of Palma during the winter season.