World's top 10 eSailors ready for live return of eSailing World Championship Finals

eSailors ready for eSailing Worlds Finals © World Sailing

The 2022 eSailing World Championship Finals will take place in Alicante, Spain, in front of a live crowd, bringing together the world's best players to compete the ultimate prize in eSailing.

A total of 40 sailors began the semi-finals in October, and now the top ten sailors will head to Alicante for a shot at the prize pool of $10,000 USD courtesy of Virtual Regatta.

The winner will be decided in races using Star, Nacra 1, Laser, J70, 49er and F50 boats. The final medal race will be a winner-takes-all battle on the J70 worth double points.

Fresh from winning the 2022 eSailing Nations Cup, members of Team France Alexandre Kowalski (TRAP-AlexK) and Gaétan de Kat (gadek) will look to add to their trophy haul.

Also involved will be 2022 Rolex World Sailor of the Year nominee Bart Lambriex of The Netherlands and former eNations champion Arthur Farley from Great Britain in the custom-built eSports centre at Ocean Live Park, the race village for The Ocean Race.

The event will be broadcast live from 3pm UTC on 7 January 2023 on the World Sailing YouTube Channel.

Scott Over, World Sailing Commercial Director, said, "Now in its fifth year, eSailing has grown year on year to be one of the most exciting online sports events in the world. We are delighted to be returning to a live final and capture the emotion and energy of intense racing in person. This year has seen more national championships than any year before and we have seen more professional sailors joining the ranks to put their experience to the test against dedicated and talented eSailors. The Finals promises to be an incredible event to mark the opening of Ocean Live Park ahead of The Ocean Race later in January."

Philippe Guigne, founder and CEO of Virtual Regatta, added, "eSailing continues to prove a huge success. With the recent eSailing Nations Cup and World Championships we have seen over 70,000 players worldwide take part, many for the first time. The level of competition has improved every year and we are looking forward to an exciting live eSailing World Championship in Alicante where this year's champion will be decided."

The eSailing World Championship Finals are supported by World Sailing and Virtual Regatta, alongside The Ocean Race and the Generalitat Valenciana a través de Distrito Digital de Alicante to host the first in-person championship final since Bermuda 2019. The event marks the opening of the Ocean Live Village, the location of leg one of The Ocean Race 2022-23 on 15 January 2023.