1:24 PM Mon 8 Dec 2008 GMT
The Monsoon Cup, regarded as the best match racing sailing event in the world reached another milestone in sailing history after being invited to be a part of the World Yacht Racing Forum held in Monaco from Dec 11-12.
The forum, themed 'Steering The Business Of Yacht Racing' and hosted by the Yacht Club de Monaco, is expected to bring together the 'who's who' of world sailing under one roof and discuss key issues to outline a road map for the future of global sailing.
At the forum, Monsoon Cup Race Advisor Dato' Peter Gilmour, a synonymous name in world sailing who played a pivotal role in the staging of the Monsoon Cup in Kuala Terengganu and the man responsible for its induction into the World Match Racing Tour, would present a paper on behalf of Monsoon Cup.
'Monsoon Cup is the only sailing event that has been given the honour to present a paper at the forum and it is an endorsement of how prestigious the event has become within four years of its inception'.
'The recognition would certainly elevate the Monsoon Cup to another level and give a new dimension to the hosting of the event next year,' said Gilmour, a four-time world champion of Match Race Sailing (1990, 1997, 1998, 2006) and three times World Match Racing Tour champion (2003, 2004, 2006).
Gilmour added that apart from himself, Patrick Lim, founder of the Monsoon Cup of Malaysia, has also been recognized for his immense contributions to sailing and will present a paper on 'The Rise of Yacht Racing Events in the Middle East & Asia'.
The Monsoon Cup gained international recognition when nominated for the 'Yachting Event of the Year' at the Christofle Asia Boating Awards 2007 while its founder Datuk Patrick Lim, bagged the 'Personality of The Year' award for his contribution in promoting Malaysia's premier sailing event.
It was Patrick Lim's vision and foresight that resulted in the inception of the Monsoon Cup in 2005, which became part of the Swedish Match Tour (now known as the World Match Racing Tour) and also regarded as the 'Formula One' of sailing.
Patrick Lim will speak on the topic together with Albert Whitley (CEO of Oman Sail), Tim Coventry (Marine Consultant to Korea) and Scott MacLeod who is the chairman of the World Match Racing Tour.
He added that the global economic crisis is also expected to be another hot topic at the forum because sailing is a sport that requires an immense amount of funds that normally come from the support and sponsorship from big corporate players.
'Discussions and ideas from the forum would help enhance the organization aspects of the Monsoon Cup in the future as we aspire to raise the profile of sailing in Asia further,' said Gilmour.
Papers to be presented at the forum include topics like:
*The World Yacht Racing, How do we drive global growth of our sport
*The future of yacht racing events
*What are the critical factors to ensure successful Commercial Event Management
*How we can improve the exposure and interest of sailing broadcast and media
*What is the future of America's Cup after AC32
*The growth of classic yacht racing.
*Assessing the impact of sailing events on host cities and venues
*Learning the value of sailing sponsorship, how effective is the return?
*What is the commercial value and future of offshore short handed racing.
Apart from the forum, an exhibition will also be held throughout the two days.
www.monsooncup.com.my
by Rurrum Communications Sdn Bhd
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