From 11-16 October, the inaugural 2019 China International Women’s Match Race, the final event of the 2019 WIM Series, will be held in Shanghai on the Dishui Lake.
The Women’s International Match Racing Association (WIMRA), Chinese Yachting Association (CYA), Shanghai Administration of Sports and Administration Committee of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Lin-Gang Special Area have collaborated to launch this high level event in China.
Launched in 2013, the Women’s International Match Racing Series (WIM Series) is the first and only professional sailing series for women, delivering a global circuit of fierce competition where the world’s best sailors compete. The 2019 WIM Series comes to China for the first time and we expect the event be a great success.
The inaugural event has attracted 12 teams and 60 women sailors from Sweden, France, Denmark, Russia, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and China. The sailors represent a cross section of the international sailing scene, including Olympians, national champions, world champions, and Volvo Ocean Race veterans competing alongside rising young stars.
The idea of bringing the WIM Series to China came from Demolar Du, CEO of Fareast Boats, builder of the competition’s Fareast 28R boats, based in Shanghai.
Ms. Du welcomed the sailors to Shanghai: “With the support of WIMRA, CYA and local government, the inaugural China International Women’s Match Race lands successfully in Shanghai, China this year. As the local event executive, we will try our best to make a unique and wonderful event. May all teams have a good visit to Dishui Lake.”
”It’s great to be in Shanghai Lin-Gang and to see the venue at Dishui Lake. We have the world’s best teams here, so I am looking forward to seeing some fantastic match racing this week,” remarked Anna Holmdahl White, WIM Series Director on arriving at the Shanghai Sailing Center venue.
Xiaowen Ni, skipper of the Chinese Team Fareast Ladies, has a strong history of Olympic sailing and training in match racing prior to the 2012 London Olympics, and will be making her debut on the WIM Series in Shanghai.
“I would like to think the organisation for all of their hard work. We are very happy to be here and meet so many top women’s teams,” Xiaowen Ni said.
“In the following days, we will enjoy the racing and make friends with the other teams. For us, the aim is not only to get on the podium, but also to take this opportunity to make a contribution to the development of the women’s match race in the whole world.”
No stranger to women’s match racing events is Pauline Courtois, France, the two-time reigning WIM Series champion and current World Sailing No. 1, said: “It's my first time in China and I am very excited to be here. We love the Fareast 28R boats; it’s the third time this year we've had the chance to sail in them. They are technical but fun and fast.
“It's always a pleasure to meet and sail against the other teams and we can't wait to start racing,” ended the skipper of Pink by Normandy Elite Team.
Racing begins on Saturday 12 October local time with the round robin where all teams will face each other.
The top four teams from the round robin will advance to the quarterfinals while the next six will have a second chance in the repechage stage to advance to the quarter-finals. The semi-finals and finals will follow. The competition will conclude on Wednesday 16 October when the champions will be crowned.
Teams Competing in the 2019 China International Women’s Match Race:
Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team: Pauline Courtois, Maëlenn Lemaître, Louise Acker, Nathalie Corson, Claire Pruvot – France. Current World Sailing Ranking: 1
Team Bergqvist Match Racing: Johanna Bergqvist, Isabelle Bergqvist, Johanna Thiringer, Beata Törneman, Julia Carlsson – Sweden. Current World Sailing Ranking: 3
Matchmoiselles by Normandy Elite Team: Margot Vennin, Juliette Dubreuil, Clotilde Ponçon, Chloé Salou, Sophonie Affagard – France. Current World Sailing Ranking: 7
APCC Women Sailing Team: Margot Riou, Clémentine Hilaire, Tiphaine Ragueneau, Marie Zugolaro, Blandine Jaffrain – France. Current World Sailing Ranking: 10
Edge Racing: Celia Willison, Charlotte Porter, Ruby Scholten, Paige Cook, Alison Kent – New Zealand. Current World Sailing Ranking: 13
Fusion Australia: Clare Costanzo, Juliet Costanzo, Emma Harrison, Jessica Grimes, Anneliese Scholten – Australia. Current World Sailing Ranking: 14
2.0 Women's Racing: Megan Thomson, Serena Woodall, Anna Merchant, Chelsea Rees, Rebecca Gmuer Hornell – New Zealand. Current World Sailing Ranking: 26
Team Kattnakken: Lea Richter Vogelius, Annette Strøm, Helle Jespersen, Sille Christensen, Joan Wester Hansen – Denmark. Current World Sailing Ranking: 69
Team Ladies: Eunjin Kim, Songeun Ku, Jiseon Moon, Yunseo Cho, Dongmin Kim – South Korea. Current World Sailing Ranking: 138
Seven Feet Team: Ekaterina Chashchina, Daria Istratova, Anna Sannikova, Aleksandra Voloshenko, Aleksandra Shutafedova – Russia. Current World Sailing Ranking: unranked
Team Join Sailing Ladies: Yuting Lu, Li Li, Yangi Cui, Ziyi Wang, Yingda Li, Dan Sun – China
Current World Sailing Ranking: unranked
Team Fareast Ladies: Xiaowen Ni, Xufeng Huang, Xiaoni Li, Shuke Zheng, Tingting Pan – China. Current World Sailing Ranking: unranked
