Stuart Ayres Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney MEDIA RELEASE Thursday, 17 June 2021 NSW GOVERNMENT SECURES INTERNATIONAL SAILING SPECTACULAR Sydney’s visitor economy is set for another significant boost with the NSW Government today announcing funding to host the Australia Sail Grand Prix Sydney taking place December 17-18, 2021. The NSW Government will support the world's most cutting-edge sail racing league in late 2021, ensuring the world-renowned event will continue to deliver benefits for Sydney’s visitor economy. The event will see eight national teams – featuring the sport’s best athletes – from Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United States of America descend on Sydney Harbour. The teams will race in identical ultra- high-performance, fully foiling 50-foot catamarans that can reach exhilarating speeds of up to 100km/h. Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the Government was committed to building a world-class calendar of events to rejuvenate NSW’s visitor tourism and events industry in the wake of COVID-19. “Events such as the Australia Sail Grand Prix Sydney will see participants and spectators flock to Sydney, delivering an economic boost to our city, and helping rejuvenate NSW’s major events industry, following the crippling effects of COVID-19. “Furthermore, the event enhances our city’s reputation as Australia’s premier sporting destination, once again showcasing Sydney on a global stage to prospective international visitors and sporting fans. In 2019, the inaugural SailGP season attracted a worldwide broadcast audience of 257 million across five events, as well as over 133,000 spectators,” Mr Ayres said. The event takes place over two days and features five fleet races leading to a final podium race between the top three placed boats to determine the overall winner. Points are accumulated in each race throughout the season, culminating in a winner- takes-all grand final race between the highest ranked teams for the SailGP championship. The Australia Sail Grand Prix Sydney will be held on Sydney Harbour from 17 – 18 December 2021. For more information on SailGP and to plan your trip, go to Sydney.com. MEDIA: Sophie Hull 0447 583 756 .