The iconic Italian port city will host visitors around the world through its presence in The Ocean Race
Genova, Italy, the host of the Grand Finale finish of the 50th anniversary edition of The Ocean Race, will maximise its opportunity through the free-to-enter race village called Ocean Live Park.
The finish of the 14th edition of the around the world race, often described as the toughest test of a team in sport, is scheduled for June 2023. But before the race arrives in Genova, the capital of the Liguria region will be travelling the world in its role as destination marketing partner of The Ocean Race.
Genova is planning to have presence at the start celebrations in January in Alicante, Spain, and will be in the Ocean Live Park with a ‘business lounge’ at the stopovers in Cape Town, South Africa; Itajaí, Brazil; Newport, RI, USA; Aarhus, Denmark and The Hague in the Netherlands, before the climax of the Grand Finale in Genova itself.
“The value of The Ocean Race for the city of Genova, in addition to the great sporting prestige of the initiative, is that of promoting our city to the world: its beauty, great attractions, food and wine, climate, and cultural traditions,” noted Marco Bucci, the Mayor of Genova. “But more than that, we will demonstrate our cutting-edge innovative processes through our hosting of the final stage of a world-class event like The Ocean Race.
“With this approach we are about to take Genova to the world thanks to The Ocean Race,” he continued. “In the six international stopovers where we will be present at the Ocean Live Park, we will bring our pride, our beauty, and our style, always looking towards the 24th June 2023 when it will be our turn to do the honours as host of the Grand Finale. We are ready to take up the great challenge that we have been waiting for over these past years. And we are confident in the full cooperation of the entire city, we will show what the people of Genova are capable of!”
The Business Lounge will have a dual function: as an attraction for visitors and a business area where companies of Italian excellence have the opportunity to meet foreign companies to develop new opportunities. In addition to local trade associations, the Italian embassies and communities in the countries hosting the stopovers will be involved. A programme of events is being worked on that will promote Genova’s culture, gastronomy and economy as well as highlighting what the destination can offer for tourists.
The Business Lounge will feature an immersive room developed by ETT, a Genoese company of the SCAI Group that designs and creates multimedia set-ups for culture, tourism and events at an international level. It will transport visitors directly into the iconic areas of Genova and Liguria.
The Ocean Race “Genova The Grand Finale”, sponsored by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, will be an extraordinary sports challenge, and a great promotional opportunity for Genova, Liguria, and Italy worldwide, as well as a strong sustainability project. The Genova Process, an initiative led by The Ocean Race that brings together international experts in international law, diplomacy, ocean science and sport to drive the ambitious goal of giving the ocean a voice, includes a series of Innovation Workshops towards the drafting of principles on Ocean Rights. The principles will be presented in Genova during the “Grand Finale” and then delivered to the UN Assembly in New York in September 2023. The next Genova Process Innovation Workshop will be held in Genova (and online) on 5 December 2022.
“At The Ocean Race we are committed to both the sporting side of the story and sustainability,” said Richard Brisius, Race Chairman of The Ocean Race. “The Genova Process is a truly extraordinary path that will play a key role in drafting principles on ocean rights and bring us closer to presenting them to the United Nations.”
“And Genova has a critical part to play in our anniversary race around the world as host of The Ocean Race 50th Anniversary Legends Regatta. Over 2000 sailors have taken part in our event, from the Whitbread Round the World Race, to the Volvo Ocean Race to today’s The Ocean Race and we will celebrate that heritage in Genova.
“But first, of course, there is the Grand Finale in Genova, as the teams race towards a Mediterranean finish line for the first time in race history, and compete for the final ranking points that could determine the overall winner. Genova, in short, will play an exciting and decisive role in this fourteenth edition of The Ocean Race, and we are thrilled to have them with us around the world.”
