WMRT announces inaugural Women’s World Match Racing Tour

The World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), the longest running professional series in sailing and a World Sailing Special Event, has announced the launch of the first Women’s World Match Racing Tour, a global professional series designed to promote and grow female participation in sailing and match racing around the world.

The inaugural 2022 Tour will feature four events, starting in Le Havre, France in June before heading to Skovshoved, Denmark in October, Corfu, Greece in October and culminating in the 2022 Women’s Match Racing World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand in November.

The Women’s World Match Racing Tour has been created with the support of the Women’s International Match Racing Association (WIMRA) to continue the legacy of the long-running WIM Series, which was founded by WIMRA in 2013 following the success of women’s match racing at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

“We are delighted to support the launch of the Women’s World Match Racing Tour,” commented WIMRA Executive Director Liz Baylis. “The Tour is a fantastic opportunity for women sailors and will continue build on the success of the WIM Series. We look forward to working closely with the team at WMRT to help expand the Tour for the future.”

Commenting on the announcement, WMRT Executive Director James Pleasance added, “We are excited to launch the Women’s World Match Racing Tour today after many months of planning. Historically, opportunities have been limited for women in professional sailing and match racing – this new tour will provide a valuable platform and pathway for women to compete in their own championship series.”

Two-time Women’s Match Racing World Champion Anna Östling from Sweden said, “It is such an inspiration for young women sailors to see the best teams in the world competing on a world stage, so it is great to have a platform like the Women’s World Match Racing Tour to create a strong pathway and opportunities for professional women in our sport.”

The WIM Series title was last awarded in 2019 to Pauline Courtois from France, the current world number one on the World Sailing women’s match race rankings. There are currently over 200 female match racing sailors on the World Sailing global ranking and the re-launch of the series as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour will provide new opportunities for the best female sailors to compete against each other.

The Women’s WMRT will award skipper points at each event with the best three results to count towards the 2022 WMRT title.

The 2022 Women’s WMRT schedule

• Stage 1 – Normandie Match Cup, 2-6 June, Le Havre, France (Beneteau First Class 7.5m)
• Stage 2 – Women’s Match Race, 23-25 September, Royal Danish Yacht Club, Skovshoved, Denmark (DS37)
• Stage 3 – EUROSAF Women’s European Championship, 12-15 October, Corfu Sailing Club, Greece (Platu 25)
• Stage 4 – Women’s Match Racing World Championship, 9-13 November, RNZYS, Auckland, New Zealand (Elliot 7m)

For more information on the Women’s WMRT, visit www.womenswmrt.com.