SailGP features rival national teams going head-to-head to win the SailGP Championship and the $1 million prize.
But our teams are NOT fully made up of athletes from that team's country, with nationality rules in place to make the racing fairer and more competitive.
Crew nationality restrictions are determined in SailGP's nationality rules, with the designation of a nation as a Developed Sailing Country affecting the line-up of a crew.
Upon joining SailGP, and then again before the start of any season, the nation representing a boat is designated as either a Developed Sailing Country or an Other Country.
As of the start of Season 3, the following are designated Developed Sailing Countries:
- Argentina, Australia, Austria,Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
In Season 3, a boat representing a Developed Sailing Country must have the following number of crew who must be nationals of the country that the boat represents.
| Crew on board | Required nationals of team's country |
|---|---|
| 6 crew on board | 5 nationals |
| 5 crew on board | 4 nationals |
| 4 crew on board | 3 nationals |
| 3 crew on board | 2 nationals |
For Other Countries, the nationality restrictions are looser with only a portion of crew required to be nationals of the country that the boat represents.
| Crew on board | Required nationals of team's country |
|---|---|
| 6 crew on board | 4 nationals |
| 5 crew on board | 3 nationals |
| 4 crew on board | 2 nationals |
| 3 crew on board | 1 nationals |
SailGP intends to tighten the nationality rules as we promote the development of sailing talent worldwide, and by Season 4 the rules state that Other Countries must have parity with Developed Sailing Countries in regards to the amount of crew who must be nationals of the country that the boat represents.