The 2020 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cup Regatta and Macao Cup International Regatta, organised by the Sports Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and Across Four Oceans Sailing Event Management, in association with the Marine and Water Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and the Macau Sailing Association, will be held from 9 to 12 January. Over 300 international sailing elites from all over the world have arrived in Macao to prepare for the race and are looking to strive for success.

The organisers held a press conference today (Jan 9) to present the details of the event. Guests at the press conference included Pun Weng Kun, President of Sports Bureau; Ma Man Wai, Director of Across Four Oceans Sailing Event Management; Wu Chu Pang, Chief of Maritime Activities Department of Marine and Water Bureau; Robert Li, Vice Chairman of Macau Sailing Association; Allen Lau and Christine Lam, Vice Presidents of Sports Bureau; Ross Chisholm, Principle Race Officer; Sungchul Jeong, Chairman of the Jury; plus other guests and media representatives.

The 2020 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cup Regatta and Macao Cup International Regatta will be held in the waters south of Hac Sa Beach and the waters south of the Inner Harbour Channel, comprising an eventful schedule for three different racing categories. With a host of stars and talents in international sailing, exciting competitions are expected in the next four days.

Eleven teams racing in Beneteau First 40.7 boats will contest the highlight Macao Cup International Regatta. French sailing legend Lionel Péan, winner of the 1986 Whitbread Round the World Race (now known as Volvo Ocean Race) and various prominent international sailing competitions, is leading Team Péan this year in the quest of winning the overall title after coming second last year. Also joining the strong lineup are last year’s third-place Team Subic Sailing Europa Yachts from the Philippines, the vastly experienced Team Windy from Estonia, and the winner of 2017 Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Team Vivat Sailing from Russia. Thomas Wong will lead the home challenge with Team Macau Fans against overseas competitors.

Eleven teams from Macao, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai are participating in the Greater Bay Area Cup Regatta IRC class.  Last year’s first and second-runners up Team BLU from Hong Kong and Macau Sugram Seamo are hoping to go one better this year.  Amongst the challengers are Team Daydream from Hong Kong, champion of COA 2019 Mirs Bay Seafood Rally and COA 2019 Kau Sai Seafood Rally, as well as the 2018 M32 world champion Tuo Ting Yi Zu - Deep Blue Sailing Team from Shenzhen.

Newly added this year is the International Catamaran Invitational Hobie 16 class event, which contains 15 outstanding teams from China, Germany, Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macao. The focus will be on teams Diva from South Korea, Vayu from Hong Kong and Bluefin from Hong Kong, which features gold, silver and bronze medalists at the 2014 Asian Games respectively.

In order to raise of the umpiring standard, the organisers has invited renowned international umpire Sungchul Jeong, whose previously experience includes the Olympics and World Championships, to be the Chairman of the Jury for this year’s event. The jury panel also includes international umpires from China, Russia, India and Singapore.

To allow residents to watch the racing action in close proximity and to experience the atmosphere of the event, a fleet parade will take place at 9am on 9 Jan and on 12 Jan.  The participating vessels will set sail from Macau Fisherman's Wharf, pass through Macao Science Center, Kun Iam Ecumenical Center and Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, and return at Macao Tower.  Residents may watch the parade in Macao along the coastal areas of Avenida Dr. Sun Yat Sen in Macao Peninsula and Avenida do Oceano in Taipa.  In addition, the organisers have arranged a spectating activity to watch the parade and the International Catamaran Invitational on 12 Jan. Residents who have previously collected the tickets are requested to arrive at the Inner Harbour Ferry Terminal at 7:30am on 12 Jan to board the spectating fleet.