Swedish Match Tour Announces Preliminary 2003/2004 Schedule

STAMFORD, CT (08/20/2003) – The Swedish Match Tour, the world’s premier professional sailing series, has announced its preliminary schedule of events for 2003/2004. Dates for seven events are currently confirmed with plans to announce additional stops to the fifth year’s schedule, soon.

The Danish Open 2003, August 13 – 17, was the first stop on Swedish Match Tour 2003/2004 and featured teams taking to the waters of Skovshoved Harbor - just north of Copenhagen – home of the KDY/SKS Match Race Center. Sweden’s Magnus Holmberg of Team Stora Enso continued his dominance of the Oresund, the body of water beyond the Skovshoved Harbor seawall, winning for the third time in four years.

The Swedish Match Tour next returns to Bermuda, October 18 –26, for the newly sponsored Investors Guaranty Presentation of the King Edward VII Gold Cup. The regatta is raced in International One Designs (IODs) and features an extremely exciting unseeded 16 team knockout format as well as eight seeded skippers and, for the second time, a women’s competition, bringing to 32 the total number of teams racing on Hamilton Harbor.

At present, the Swedish Match Tour resumes its schedule in 2004 with the Congressional Cup in Long Beach, CA, April 19– 24. Hosted by the Long Beach Yacht Club, the Congressional Cup always draws an outstanding line-up, with competitors dueling before a large crowd of spectators on Long Beach Pier.

The Swedish Match Tour begins its European leg in May with the Toscana Elba Cup – Trofeo Locman on the island of Elba, off the coast of Italy. Offering more than US$200,000 in prize money, top teams battle in event-supplied IMX 40s.

The ACI HTmobile Cup, May 24 – 29, held in Split, Croatia, on the South Adriatic coast is the fifth event on Swedish Match Tour 2003/2004. As the cultural and economic center of Dalmatia, Split is well known for its sailing conditions and tradition.

The sixth event on Swedish Match Tour 2003/2004 is Match Race Germany, June 8 – 13, held along the promenade of Langenargen at Lake Constance in southern Germany. With its beautiful scenery and the Swiss Alps in the background, the promenade is a perfect setting to watch racing.

Swedish Match Tour 2003/2004 concludes in July with the Swedish Match Tour finale, the Swedish Match Cup, in Marstrand, Sweden, with the annual Swedish Match Tour Rankings race coming to a head and the gala prize giving being held at the famous Society House.

Swedish Match Tour 2003/2004 Schedule

Event, Location, Dates
Danish Open 2003 Skovshoved, Denmark August 13-18, 2003
Investors Guaranty presents the Hamilton, Bermuda October 18-26, 2003
King Edward VII Gold Cup
Congressional Cup Long Beach, CA, USA April 19-24, 2004
Toscana Elba Cup – Trofeo Locman Elba, Italy May 2004
ACI HT Cronet Cup Split, Croatia May 24-29, 2004
Match Race Germany Langenargen, Germany June 8-13, 2004
Swedish Match Cup Marstrand, Sweden July 5-11, 2004

For all the latest news and information about the Swedish Match Tour, visit www.swedishmatchtour.com.

About the Swedish Match Tour
· The Swedish Match Tour is comprised of nine of the world's leading professional sailing events and is proving to be the ultimate battleground of sailing.
· In addition to more than US$800,000 in individual event prize money, the Swedish Match Tour awards US$200,000 to the top eight sailors on the Swedish Match Tour, with the first-place skipper netting US$60,000.
· In addition to a US$60,000 first prize, the winner of the Swedish Match Tour receives the official Swedish Match Tour Championship Trophy, 15" (30 cm) high with 22 carat gold gilding, produced by Swedish Match Tour sponsor Wedgwood. Additionally, Wedgwood supplies runner-up prizes for second and third places as well as commemorative plaques to each event organizer.
· The Swedish Match Tour produces 155 hours of television coverage reaching more than 427 million households worldwide.
· Swedish Match Tour partners include Swedish Match, Octagon and the Match Race Association.
· Swedish Match Tour sponsors include Colorcraft, Champagne Mumm, Musto, Selden and Wedgwood.