Together with French syndicate boss Stéphane Kandler, three-time Olympic champion and two-time America's Cup winner Jochen Schümann presented his sailing team "All4One" in Paris today.
In addition to the 55-year-old from Penzberg, who will act as sports director and skipper at "All4One", the German Americas Cup sailors Matti Paschen (Hamburg), Michael Müller (Kiel) and Tony Kolb (Bremen) are part of the squad, which is made up almost exclusively of Europeans.
"With All4One&apos, we want to show that Franco-German cooperation and friendship can work not only in politics and business, but also in sport," said Jochen Schümann. "For me, All4One&apos is a unique project, because when has there ever been such a cross-national alliance in the history of competitive sport?"
Full regatta calendar
Schümann intends to start at the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice at the beginning of November (7-22 November). For the coming year, he is not only planning to take part in the other Louis Vuitton Trophy regattas, but also to compete in the Audi MedCup, the RC44 series and the World Match Racing Tour.
Accordingly, the Valencian-by-choice is also highly motivated: "I am glad that Stéphane Kandler shares our enthusiasm and emotion for sailing. During my Aerosail time, I already had a very close relationship with Stéphane's father, who played a key role in this campaign. We both know that the only way to lay the foundations for successful participation in a possible Americas Cup is through fierce competition. Competition is not considered the best training for nothing."
Kiel Yacht Club as "team sponsor"
All4One" receives support from the Franco-German yacht club scene: both the Parisian yacht club Cercle de la Voile de Paris and the Kieler Yacht-Club have taken on the sponsorship of this ambitious and cross-national alliance. The two yacht clubs share a historical parallel: the French were responsible for organising the Olympic sailing regattas in 1924, while the Kiel Yacht Club took on this task at the 1936 (Berlin) and 1972 (Munich) Olympic Games.
The project is supported by Schümann's partner Adidas Porsche Design, among others. Hermann Deininger, Head of Marketing at Adidas Sport Style, said: "Jochen Schümann is one of the best sailors in the world and has been part of the Adidas family for more than 30 years. We are delighted to be able to support him as a partner with All4One&apos."
The name of the team is not new. Schümann already sailed his last Olympic campaign in Sydney in 2000 under the motto "All4One". Back then, he won silver against Jesper Bank. He later described the defeat in the final as the bitterest of his career. Perhaps the motto "All for one" is an incentive for his current AC commitment.
Jochen Rieker
Herausgeber YACHT
