in June 2023 the grand finale of the race around the world – Corriere.it

A reason for pride and therefore for celebration. There Ocean Racethe most famous sailing around the worldnext June 24 (and until July 2) will arrive for the first time in Italy, more precisely in Genoa. «The Liguria region and Genoa are the ideal context for celebrating the finale of the Ocean Race – explained the president of Coni Giovanni Malagò on Tuesday 22 June at the presentation at the Coni Hall of Honor -. After 50 years we won a MotoGp world championship with Bagnaia and with an Italian motorbike and after 50 years we are once again protagonists with an event that brings prestige to the entire sports system. After all when we talk about sailing we talk about the Ocean Race and the America’s Cup. Italy will prove to be up to it. When we go abroad we are appreciated for organizing these events».

The departure is scheduled for January 15th from Alicante (Spain) and after six stages (Cape Verde, Cape Town, Itajau, Newport, Aarhus and The Hague) the arrival is expected in Genoa, after a total of 32,000 miles. June 24, the day of arrival in Genoa, is also a significant date for Coni: “The same day on which in 2019 in Lausanne we won the Winter Olympics with Milan-Cortina”, recalls Malagò. Also taking part in the presentation was the new sports minister Andrea Abodi, who admitted that he hopes that in the days of his arrival in Genoa «there will be many children and young people from the schools. I hope that the 2023 edition is only the first and that there is another candidacy, because these events need continuity and we demonstrated it with Genoa”.

Mauro Pelaschier is also excited about the event, legend of sailing. «I am a sailor, I come from a family of sailors. I did everything that can be done on the sea. I make a joke: at sea you can travel the world without a passport… I started with the Olympic boats, I did all the offshore competitions, alone, with a crew. I lived the story of Azzurra in the America’s Cup. Then there’s the ocean, you can get to know the sea but you know the ocean less, it’s much more challenging. And I’m better off between the buoys. I also did the Ocean Race but due to a major break we risked being shipwrecked (with Brooksfield in 1994, ed). That time it was more a struggle for survival than competition. It was the stage from Uruguay to Australia, we went through ice and strong winds. In any case, those who arrive in Genoa will encounter other difficulties because even the Mediterranean is not as simple as one thinks. Genoa deserves all of this, it’s a city that looks after its economy and its culture on the sea».

In less than two months the departure. Then in June the arrival in Genoa. And another reason for pride and celebration.