China Sports Industry Group becomes official partner of Emirates Team New Zealand

The 36th America’s Cup presented by PRADA is set to kick off this March and before that, the PRADA Cup will start on January 15 with the three Challengers - Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team, INEOS TEAM UK and the American Magic Team - competing to qualify to race against Emirates Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup Match.

Founded in 1851, the America’s Cup has been the holy grail of the sport of sailing for just short of 170 years and is named as one of "the four most influential traditional sporting events in the world”, along with the Olympic Games, the Football World Cup and motor racing’s Formula One. "The Auld Mug", the world’s oldest trophy in international sport has attracted the best sailors, including many Olympians and world champions, to take on the challenge.

In addition to its long history, the America's Cup is also renowned for its innovative technology. The new AC75 Class has been described as a cutting-edge high-performance sailboat, designed with aerodynamics and engineering theory, and capable of speeds in excess of 50 knots (100 km/h). This ground-breaking evolution has truly elevated sailing into a brand new era.

Emirates Team New Zealand, the pioneers of this incredible AC75, started to compete in the America's Cup in the 1980s and won the America’s Cup for the first time in 1995. Over the next 25 years they have had failures and successes, making them one of most legendary teams in the Cup’s history. The team has a strong history in bold innovation and breakthroughs. The investment in research and development of the design concept placed them 3rd on the Global Sports Technology Power List at the 2020 Sports Technology Awards, only behind Formula 1 and the Tour de France. One team compared to two complete events.

This dedication to technology and innovation is a key fundamental for this partnership. For a long time, the China Sports Industry Group has always been committed to integrate resources to provide professional sports service. And CSCI is also specifically set up to promote the on-water sports.

It is well-known that sailing is not only a sport, but also a comprehensive manifestation of a country's strength and innovative application of high technology and other aspects. Cross-sector collaborations are vital to develop the advanced design and manufacturing technologies that are behind the monohull foiling yacht used in the Cup. In the meantime, the manoeuvers and performance of athletes require enormous data support. Its value chain includes not only the management of the race, team or club, but also naval architects and marine engineers, and other behind-the-scenes offices of law, media, meteorology and internet so the vibrant growth of an industry should be all-encompassing, as one department would thrive with another.  With this partnership both parties hope to make Chinese spectators aware of the future of high performance sailing, and boost the development of high-performance sailing and related industries in China.

Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton said, “As we rapidly approach the sharp end of this 36th America’s Cup campaign, it is great having the continued support of the China Sports Industry Group as an official partner of Emirates Team New Zealand to really help promote the team and the America’s Cup event in China now and in the future. China is an exciting territory for the sport of sailing that is fully embracing the sport and the America’s Cup and all of its associated technological innovations.”

The 170-year-old regatta has also been ready to embrace the younger generation with the Youth America's Cup once again on the agenda. As a key element of this partnership, CSCI will introduce a series of training programs, including offshore and inshore courses, which will be open to sailors from the Asia-Pacific region. It will also recruit talented young sailors to form a team for further competitions around the world.

The America's Cup racing will be broadcast live in China. Open and accessible to all, comprehensive live and highlights coverage of the America's Cup is widely available free-to-air including on americascup.com, Toutiao (Bytedance), Tencent, Huya and Penguin Sport, with further distribution to be announced.