MAPFRE presents its Volvo Ocean Race team

The complete MAPFRE team have been presented today at the Real Club Náutico in Sanxenxo, the team’s training base, in the presence of His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, the team’s CEO Pedro Campos, and MAPFRE CEO, Antonio Huertas.

At 12.00h local time His Majesty King Juan Carlos, accompanied by his daughter the Infanta Elena, arrived at the Spanish Yacht Club, where the Chairman and Vicechairman of MAPFRE, Antonio Huertas and Antonio Núñez respectively, were waiting to greet them. The Secretary of State for Sport, José Ramón Lete; the Regional Government, the Xunta de Galicia’s Secretary of Sport Marta Míguez; the Mayor of Sanxenxo, Telmo Martín; the CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, Mark Turner; Helly Hansen's CEO, Paul Stoneham; and the Chairman of Volvo Spain, Germán López were also present, along with a great number of the public to support the Spanish team, skippered by world-class sailor Xabi Fernández.

The MAPFRE skipper was joined on the stage by the ten other crew members, who will make up the team, and perfectly combine talent, youth and experience, with a total of 21 round the world races, five Olympic medals, and three America’s Cup victories among them, and includes the first Spanish woman in history to compete in the race, Olympic champion Támara Echegoyen. Also New Zealand's Blair Tuke, who will try to become the first sailor in history to win the 'Triple Crown' of an Olympic gold medal, the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race.

A further surprise is the under-30 crew member, Louis Sinclair from New Zealand, who has also joined the team.
               
Alicante will see the start of the nine-month race around the world, the thirteenth edition of the competition and a huge adventure; this time stopping in 12 countries and all five continents, as well as returning to the event’s authentic roots with a triple pass through the Southern Ocean.