60th anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Race wins inaugural Christofle Asia Boating Award

• NEWS
• 27 Apr, 2005 07:53:00 AM

60th anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Race wins inaugural Christofle Asia Boating Award

"It is a great honour to receive the Yachting Event of the Year for our premier event,” said CYCA Commodore Martin James.

The 2004 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race was named ‘Yachting Event of the Year’ at the inaugural Christofle Asia Boating Awards, which were announced recently at the China International Boat Show in Shanghai, China.

The awards were presented at a lavish black-tie gala dinner at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. Over 300 VIP guests attended including Chinese government officials and business leaders and prominent personalities within the international yachting industry.

The many special guests included Liu Peng, President of the Chinese Olympic Committee, and Wang Chaoyong, Chairman of China Equity Investment, the man spearheading the first-ever Chinese entry in the America's Cup.

Nominations were announced in Asia-Pacific Boating (March-April 2005) and China Boating (Spring 2005) magazines, creators of the awards, and a panel of 12 Asia-based judges decided the eventual winners.

"It is a great honour to receive the Yachting Event of the Year for our premier event,” said CYCA Commodore Martin James.

“We have enjoyed the participation over the years of boats from ports and clubs around the Asia-Pacific region, and we are pleased that this award affords us the opportunity to indicate that we would welcome most warmly any regional boats that would like to participate in the 2005 race or further into the future," Commodore James added.

Other nominees for the Yachting Event of the Year Category included the BMW Royal Langkawi International Regatta (Malaysia), the Hong Kong Vietnam Race, the Koh Samui Regatta (Thailand) and the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta (Thailand).

This the second major award for the 60th anniversary Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s flagship race named ‘Event of the Year’ at the NSW Sports Awards in February.