City To Host Lunch for Team Shosholoza

DATE: Wednesday, 07 November 2007
TIME: 12:45
VENUE: Foyer outside of Council Chamber, 6th Floor, Podium Block, Civic Centre, Cape Town

All media are invited to attend.

Background

Team Shosholoza is South Africa and Africa's national sailing team. They successfully competed for the first time in the 2007 America's Cup. It was a three and a half year campaign that started in 2004.

Team Shosholoza finished a laudable 7th out of 12 top teams from 10 countries across five continents achieving many wins in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 pre-regattas across Europe. In May this year they achieved an impressive nine victories from 20 races in the Louis Vuitton Cup selection series for the America's Cup to secure seventh place - beating the French, the Germans, an Italian team and Team China on the leaderboard.

The America's Cup is an historic 156-year-old event which combines technical and sporting prowess of the highest order at the pinnacle of international competitive sailing. It is rated with the Olympics, Formula One and the Soccer World Cup as a premier sporting event and world wide television coverage of the 2007 America's Cup was broadcast to four billion viewers.

Team Shosholoza undertook a gruelling three and a half year campaign culminating in the 2007 America's Cup held in Valencia, Spain. The campaign involved a super hi-tech, state-of-the-art racing yacht designed and built in Cape Town, a crew representative of all South Africans and supported by the Izivunguvungu MSC Foundation for Youth which was established in 2001 as its development wing. Young sailors from Izivunguvungu come from informal settlements near Simon's Town and have gone on to win national championships and medals in world championships. As a result of Team Shosholoza's high international profile, they have also been invited to compete in several European championships.

The South Africans were mainly club sailors compared with the other professional crews. The team was one of the smallest with one of the smallest budgets. They were the underdogs, yet they had huge passion and will to succeed. They were the darlings of the international media, the favourites among the spectators and their wins earned them the respect of their opponents.

Issued by:
Lisle Brown
Media Liaison Officer - City of Cape Town
Tel: 021 400 3065
Cell: 084 888 1901

Communication
City of Cape Town
Tel: 021 400 2201

Media Queries:
Deputy Mayor Cllr Grant Haskin
Tel: 021 400 1324
Cell: 082 788 8708