It is with great pleasure that the RS:X Class Association announces that the 2012 RS:X World Championships will be staged in the Bay of Cadiz from February 9th to 17th.The dates have been chosen to ensure that the last Q event for the 2012 Olympic Regatta is completed in plenty of time for developing nations to complete the necessary administration tasks as early as possible.
With the 2011 RS:X Worlds being staged in Perth, Australia in December as part of the ISAF Sailing World Championships, The 2011 World Champion will hold the title for just two short months! However, Olympic medal contenders will now have the power to sequence their training to peak at the appropriate time.
Nicolas Mariño Perez, the Technical Director of the Andalusian Sailing Federation, said "We are delighted to be hosting the RS:X Worlds in 2012 and it will also be the best way to showcase our new high performance training centre in El Puerto de Santa Maria, which will be officially opened during the event. The Andalusian Sailing Federation has always been totally committed to supporting Olympic windsurfing and this new state-of-the-art centre will hopefully consolidate the Bay of Cadiz as a winter training base for teams from all over Europe. On a more personal note, Marina Alabau and Blanca Manchon, currently number one and two in the world respectively, and the up-and-coming Juan Manuel Moreno will be sailing on home waters during the event. We look forward to welcoming you all back here and will work hard over the next two years to make sure it is a world-class event."
Mike Dempsey, RS:X Class President responded "We're looking forward to going back to an excellent venue in a country that has consistently produced top contenders in both the RS:X men's and RS:X women's fleets. Kim Lythgoe who sadly passed away last year put a lot of time and effort into the original bid so this decision is, in a way, a tribute to him and his impact on RS:X racing through being the coach of the Spanish RS:X Dream Team of Marina Alabau and Blanca Manchon. No doubt this decision will stimulate a lot of young Spanish racers to rise to the challenge of racing in the Olympic fleet."
For further information, please contact the RS:X Class COO, Rory Ramasden at rory.ramsden @ btopenworld.com