The Sala Magna of the Real Club Náutico de Palma hosted the inauguration of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE this Friday, 28th July, with the opening ceremony of the event, which served as the official starting signal for the 41st edition of the regatta.
Ahead, eight days of the event – six days of competition and two days of registration and measurements – with a hundred teams from 16 countries fighting in the Bay of Palma to become the new champions of the regatta.
The event was presided over by Emerico Fuster, President of the Real Club Náutico de Palma, and María del Carmen Sales, Territorial Director of MAPFRE in the Balearic Islands. Also present were Mercedes Celeste, fourth deputy mayor for the Treasury, Public Function and Internal Government; Javier Núñez, Head of the Balearic Islands Naval Sector; José Escalas, Maritime Captain; and Javier Sanz, president of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation.
Emerico Fuster was in charge of opening the event, and he did so by stating that “The Copa del Rey not only belongs to this club, it is also a heritage of the city that welcomes us and of which we are proud ambassadors around the world. We are one of the best regattas in the world and we have the support of great brands and institutions that allow us to organise an event that lives up to the expectations generated by our own history”.
“This year’s Cup follows the line of previous editions and will once again be the meeting point for the best professional and amateur crews. We believe that this is the right format for an event that aims to offer a great sporting spectacle without renouncing its popular and social character. Around 1,500 sailors from 16 countries will pass through these facilities every day, from today until Saturday next week, and our main challenge is to make them all feel at home”, Fuster added.
The closing speaker was María del Carmen Sales, who emphasised in her speech that sailing is “A sport with which we fully identify at MAPFRE, for its values of effort, self-improvement, companionship, fraternity and teamwork. Hence these strong ties, which have been forged after more than 15 years linked to this Copa del Rey and to the Real Club Náutico de Palma, which I would like to congratulate for the wonderful work they do to put on this event, and of course for its 75th anniversary. Supporting the Copa del Rey is another example of MAPFRE’s commitment to the Balearic Islands”.
The event officially begins this Saturday, 29th July, with the first day of registration and measurements for the participating teams, and it will be Monday 31st July when the fleet will make its debut on the regatta course in the Bay of Palma.
The 41st edition of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE is organised by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and the Real Spanish Sailing Federationwith the sponsorship of MAPFRE and the institutional collaboration of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Palma City Council, the Balearic Islands Port Authority and the Balearic Sailing Federation.
Source: MAPFRE Copa del Rey Communication Office
IMAGES: VILLEGAS PHOTO
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