SailGP is set to ignite the global sporting stage once again when Season 4 kicks off tomorrow with an exhilarating opening event – Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix – in the iconic city of Chicago at Navy Pier.
The ten strong fleet will go head-to-head across five fleet races and a three-boat final shootout, with the newly announced German SailGP Team making its racing debut on the waters of Lake Michigan. The three-time defending champions Australia will look to kick Season 4 off with a bang and repeat its Season 3 triumph in Chicago, which propelled them to the top of the leaderboard.
Tom Slingsby, CEO and driver of the Australia team commented on the season opener saying, “ We know we have a target on our backs so we need to stay consistent and confident. With ten boats now on the start line you can expect even closer and more dramatic racing than we have ever seen in SailGP.”
Australians from across the country will continue to enjoy the most exciting racing on water, with SailGP announcing a rights extension with Fox Sports, which will see the live coverage of the Chicago event and all Season 4 events across Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
In a further win for fans, all of the action across the 12 SailGP events will be made available live and free via Kayo Freebies on the Kayo Sports app with no credit card details required to start streaming. Season 4 of SailGP’s docu-series Racing on The Edge will also be available on Foxtel and Kayo Sports throughout the 2023/24 season.
Today’s news follows another record-breaking season for one of the world’s fastest-growing sports and entertainment properties. More fans than ever before witnessed SailGP in Season 3, which recorded a total dedicated broadcast audience of more than 117 million - three-times the league’s Season 2 audience. Over 800+ hours of SailGP were broadcast globally, seen in more than 205 territories around the globe.
Foxtel Group Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Delany said: “Ahead of the start of Season 4 this weekend in Chicago, we’re proud to renew our long-standing partnership with SailGP bringing every global sailing event to audiences here in Australia live and free via Kayo Freebies.”
Slingsby added: “We are stoked to welcome Fox Sports as our broadcast partner for SailGP Season 4 in Australia. Fox Sports' commitment to delivering exceptional sports coverage aligns perfectly with our goal of creating an immersive and accessible viewing experience for our fans.”
The weekend’s coverage of the the Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier will commence from 7a.m. AEDT, Saturday June 17 and Sunday, June 18. After Chicago, SailGP will remain in the United States for the first-ever Los Angeles Sail Grand Prix on July 22-23.
