NEXT year's Barcelona World Race has been cancelled due to 'political instability' in Catalunya and the State budget's not having been approved due to disagreements among parties in national Parliament.
According to the Barcelona Oceanic Navigation Foundation (FNOB), the prestigious round-the-globe yachting regatta was due to set off in January 2019, but in addition to financial uncertainty due to the budget delay, the race organisers have had problems finding sponsors due to the political crisis in the north-eastern region.
The FNOB said it had applied 2015 for the Barcelona World Race to be classed as 'an event of exceptional public interest' to ensure funding, but this status was not awarded until April last year.
This has set back the entire race organisation calendar, and the 'climate of institutional non-definition' in the region has led to 'lack of confidence' among potential sponsors who say they need to be able to guarantee they will have 'complete political support necessary for a sporting event of this size'.
Seven teams had already been confirmed and had set aside the budget needed for the race, whilst another 11 were in the final process of seeking funding.
The Barcelona World Race's cancellation is nothing to do with lack of interest from participating teams, nor from potential sponsors, nor through lack of international support.
“It is all due to the impossibility being able to firm up sponsorship deals within the timescales stipulated,” the FNOB says.
But it intends to continue with its plans to organise a fresh edition of the Barcelona World Race, which is expected to go ahead in 2022 or 2023.
The photograph shows the Barcelona World Race in 2017.
