SailGP: Rio premiere cancelled - defective wing sails as a possible danger
The cancellation came a good three weeks before the SailGP premiere in Rio de Janeiro. On 10 April, the league announced the cancellation of the first SailGP summit in the former Olympic metropolis. A press statement said: "Following the discovery of a defect in selected wing sails in the F50 fleet, SailGP has made the difficult decision to cancel next month's event in Rio (3-4 May) to allow for the necessary repairs ahead of New York (7-8 June) and the remainder of the 2025 season."
Rio cancellation follows wing break in San Francisco
The statement also refers to the dramatic wing collapse of the Australian team a few weeks ago in San Francisco. It says: "The problem was discovered after testing and analysing the Australia SailGP team's wing sail collapse in San Francisco last month."
The extent to which the introduction of the new T-foils, which increase the load on the sail wings, contributed to the problem is likely to be a topic of investigation. SailGP CEO Russell Coutts described the cancellation of the Rio SailGP as "a necessary measure".
The 63-year-old co-founder said SailGP engineers and technicians had identified a problem with the bonding of the core material in the structure of some wing sails during a thorough inspection. The problem could "potentially affect the structural integrity of these wing sails".
Top priority: the safety of the sailors
Coutts continued: "We have therefore taken the prudent decision to suspend the event next month to give us sufficient time to complete repairs and carry out further investigations."
In line with SailGP policy, all ticket holders will receive a full refund in the coming days while the championship explores possible options to reschedule the event in Rio in 2025.
Addressing the fans, Coutts continued: "We know this news is a huge disappointment, but the safety of our athletes is our top priority. We would like to thank our passionate racing fans in Brazil for their continued support of the SailGP and the Brazilian team, as well as our partners in the country and around the world." The league table after five events of the 2024/2025 season can be found here.
Will there be enough time until New York?
Teams and fans will now have to wait until the weekend of 7 and 8 June. Then things will continue in New York. Coutts explained: "There is still a lot of work ahead of us, but we are confident that we can get all twelve national teams ready for the SailGP race in New York in June."
Tickets for all events in the 2025 season are still available at SailGP.com/tickets available. This also applies to the German premiere on 16 and 17 August in Sassnitz. Initial details of the event calendar for the 2026 SailGP season - including an event in Rio de Janeiro - are to be announced in the coming days.
The Australian wing shock of San Francisco:
