Itajai, Brazil, has been selected as a stopover on the 2014 Volvo Ocean Race (VOR). This is the second time the Volvo Ocean Race has stopped in Itajai and it is the second Brazilian port selected for the 2014 Race. Last week the Volvo Ocean Race appointed Recife, Brazil as the first port selected as well as the first landfall for the 45,000 mile race.
In an announcement Tuesday, Knut Frostat, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) stated “"We are thrilled to be going back to Itajaí which proved to be one of the most successful stopovers of the last edition with a rhythm all of its own.
The race, which will depart from Alicante, Spain in October 2014, is considered to be one the top three sailing events in the world. (The others are the Olympics and the America’s Cup.)
For the VOR, these two back-to-back announcements mark two large changes for the Race and the Race structure. This is the first time that the VOR has not had the first leg, traditionally a very long one to Cape Town, South Africa, go to a South American port. And, the addition of Itajai places Brazil as the only country to host two stopovers in the same race.
For Brazil, this makes the country the sporting capital of the world for the next three years. In addition to the VOR stopovers, Brazil will also soccer's World cup and the Rio Olympics.
Exact dates of the Itajai stopover and the remainder of the stopover ports will be announced in the next five weeks.
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