Kiel Week will have World Cup status again from 2023. Germany's oldest and largest regatta week will then once again be one of four top international events that make up the World Cup in Olympic sailing. When reorganising the World Cup, the World Sailing Federation only considered European venues. This is intended to make the format more compact and reduce travel distances and costs in favour of the athletes.
"Ideal basis for sailing world championships and Olympic Games"
"The aim of the co-operation is to increase the attractiveness of Olympic sailing both for the national teams of our member associations and for sports fans worldwide," explains Alastair Fox, Event Director at World Sailing. "All four events offer a rich tradition as an ideal foundation for World Sailing Championships and Olympic Games." At the annual meeting of the World Sailing Federation and its member associations in Abu Dhabi, DSV Vice President and Kieler Woche sports director Dirk Ramhorst played a key role in setting the final course for Kiel's World Cup comeback.
In future, the regatta organisers and the umbrella organisation World Sailing want to coordinate dates and framework conditions such as training opportunities in order to make it easier for the world's best athletes to participate in the entire series. After the Princesa Sofía Regatta off Palma de Mallorca (1 to 8 April), the Semaine Olympique Française (22 to 29 April) and the Allianz Regatta off Medemblik in the Netherlands (31 May to 4 June), the 2023 World Cup final for Olympic sailors will take place in the first half of Kiel Week (17 to 25 June). The dates for the 2024 Olympic year have also been finalised accordingly.
Kiel Week becomes the stage for Olympic competitions
In sporting terms, the return of the Olympic boat classes to the first half of Kiel Week with the medal races on Wednesday has set the course for this on the fjord. This allows sailors to train unhindered in the days before the first start and prepare themselves optimally. The Kiel Week organisers have thus complied with the athletes' wishes. In 2023, all ten disciplines, including kitefoiling, are to be organised at Kiel Week. A number of nations are likely to use Kiel as part of their Olympic qualifying programme.
