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Kochi getting ready to host stopover of Volvo race

KOCHI: Kochi port is getting ready to host the India stopover of Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 and will become the first Indian port in the 35-year history of the ‘ultimate in ocean racing competitions’ to do so.

Kochi port was chosen for the stopover after extensive evaluations by the race officials and negotiations that went on for more than a year, said a Cochin Port Trust (CPT) press release here on Saturday.

The Volvo Ocean Race stopover at an Indian port is recognition of the growing economic importance of the country and also indicative of the confidence in Kochi port, the release said.

The Volvo Race will commence its round-the-world marathon sailing in October 2008 and cover more than 39,000 nautical miles, visiting 11 ports across the world. Starting from Alicante in Spain, it will stopover at Cape Town, Kochi, Singapore, Qingdao (China), Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway (Ireland) and Stockholm, before reaching the finishing point at St. Petersburg.

Kochi would witness a 10-day visual extravaganza of the most exciting water sport action that India had ever witnessed, the release said.

Apart from the world’s fastest ocean racing yachts with state-of-the-art technology backup, the event would also attract hundreds of other luxury yachts and sailing vessels, making the event truly spectacular.

The race is scheduled to stop over in Kochi for 10 days from December 3. The event will be jointly hosted by Cochin Port Trust and Kerala State Department of Tourism.

The stopover will also be a unique business opportunity as several high-profile global corporate leaders as well as some of the world’s topmost brands and business houses that sponsor the competition boats and teams will gather here to cheer their respective teams. The race events are designed to enable the global corporate sponsors to hold networking conclaves with leaders of commerce and industry of the host country at the stopover ports.

The Kochi stopover will help showcase India as an emerging economic power and highlighting India’s business potential.

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