Swedish Match Tour - America's Cup Stars Head To Bermuda

STAMFORD, CT, USA (September 3, 2003) – The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) has announced the eight seeded skippers who will compete for the 2003 Investors Guaranty presentation of the King Edward VII Gold Cup. The regatta, the second event on Swedish Match Tour 2003/2004, will be held October 18-26.

Topping the list of skippers is three-time America’s Cup winning helmsman Russell Coutts of the Alinghi Team, who has won the King Edward VII Gold Cup a record six times (2000, ’98, ’96, ’93, ’92, ’90). Two-time champions Australian Peter Gilmour of Team Pizza La (1997, ’95) and Chris Dickson, head of the Oracle BMW Racing Team (1989, ‘87), 2001 champion Peter Holmberg of the US Virgin Islands, American Dennis Conner, Team New Zealand’s Dean Barker and Denmark’s Jes Gram-Hansen of Team Colorcraft will join Denmark’s Jesper Radich, the defending champion, and reigning Swedish Match Tour 2002/2003 champion, to challenge for one of match racing’s largest prize purses.

"The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club is thrilled to have all of these skippers return to Bermuda after their hiatus for the America’s Cup," said RBYC Commodore Les Crane. "With the assistance of Investors Guaranty and the best skippers in the world, this year’s event will be a blockbuster."

Prior to the Championship Round of the King Edward VII Gold Cup sixteen unseeded skippers will compete in a three-day round robin qualifier. The top six skippers, as well as the top two finishers from the Bermuda Women’s Match Racing Championship – held concurrently with the unseeded round - advance to the Championship Round.

Celebrating its 55th year of drawing the world’s top sailing talent and giving up-and-comers a shot at racing against the world’s best, the event will offer a record $100,000 prize purse on behalf of its title sponsor Investors Guaranty. Competition for the coveted King Edward VII Gold Cup will take place on Hamilton Harbour in identically matched, event-supplied International One Design yachts.

For all the latest news from the Swedish Match Tour visit www.swedishmatchtour.com.

About Investors Guaranty™ www.investorsguaranty.com

The Investors Guaranty Global Alliance is currently comprised of over 60 companies dedicated to optimizing and marketing their core competencies, outsourcing non-strategic functions to alliance members and implementing global "best-practices." Governed by Investors Guaranty GmbH (Zurich), alliance companies specialize in strategic investments, insurance technologies, asset management and fund administration, legal systems, administrative and corporate management services, branding and media, and information technologies. Alliance companies are located in Switzerland, U.S.A., Cayman, Canada, Bermuda, U.K., Hong Kong and New Zealand.

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.