Porto Atlantic Front to host Porto Finn Gold Cup between 5 and 12 May

Porto Finn Gold Cup 2021 gathers 80 sailors of the World Olympic Sailing Classes Championship. Besides granting the title of Finn World Champion, the race that will take to the beaches of Porto, Matosinhos and Vila Nova de Gaia, will also assign the last places to the Olympics in Tokyo, from 5 to 12 May.

Throughout the week, from 5 to 12 May, Porto Atlantic Front is the privileged stand to watch the regattas of a competition that are the start-up of the Olympic Sailing Competition. The event is organised by BBDouro and by Douro Marina, with the support of the Municipalities of Porto, Matosinhos and Vila Nova de Gaia.

Porto Finn Gold Cup 2021 will define the Finn World Champion and it will assign the last quota places for the Olympics in Tokyo – the last European and African places. Fighting for the European place are 15 national teams, with the favourites teams of Croatia, France, Spain, Poland and Switzerland; whereas for the African place, the race is between the favourites Tunisia, Namibia and South Africa.

During the 65 years of this competition, this is the third time that the Finn Gold Cup is organised in Portugal. The last dates were in 1970 and in 2017, with the event taking place in Cascais.

In Porto, there will be 80 sailors of 33 nationalities and their coaches, with the highlight for the winner of the 2016 Rio Olympics, the English Gilles Scott, who won four world titles in this class. Portugal will be represented by four sailors. The competition takes to two racing areas: the northern field, in front of the beaches of Porto and Matosinhos; and the southern field, off the beaches of Vila Nova de Gaia.

Porto Finn Cup was presented yesterday, 22 April, during a press conference held at the Council Chambers of Matosinhos.

Rui Moreira, Mayor of Porto, praised the Atlantic Front, stating that “it does not have a dedicated budget nor does it use tax payers Money. This is a project that aims to boost the best within the three territories”. Rui Moreira, himself a former sailor for several years, highlighted that “sailing is a sport of the future, because it is non-pollutant, it is an amateur sport and also a life experience for the youth. Moreover, this event establishes our region as an international destination of excellence at world level”.

“At a time when we are enduring so many hardships, we were able to promote this competition, which is also a message of trust and hope in the future. This is a sign that there is life beyond the pandemic”, affirmed Luísa, Salgueiro, Mayor of Matosinhos, who advocated that “culture and sports must be in the forefront of this recovery”.

In turn, José Guilherme Aguiar, councillor for Sport at Vila Nova de Gaia City Hall, reminded that “the sailing competition has been an enormous success, as sailing was the starting point of the joint project of the Atlantic Front. It is a successful partnership in sports”.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the public is excluded from Porto Finn Gold and participants must follow a specific contingency plan, according to all guidelines issued by the DGS.

For more information, consult the official website of the event