Athletes investing into business ventures is no new thing as several of sports’ biggest stars have put their money where their mouth is when it comes to SailGP
While many may not be familiar with the sport that is SailGP, it is certainly drumming up significant interest and investment by some of your favourite athletes. The international sailing competition – which was launched in 2019 by three-time Olympic gold champion Russell Coutts and American billionaire Larry Ellison – has quickly grown into a powerhouse flagship championship in the world of sailing.
Featuring cutting-edge F50 foiling catamarans, the sport pits nations against each other with only the world’s best operating the speedy vessels.
On top of a hefty prize pot of £9.6million ($12.8m) throughout the season that the teams ferociously fight against each other for, the importance of sustainability is a major aspect of SailGP.
Alongside a campaign of Grands Prix, the organisation also leads the SailGP Impact League in what is a world-first initiative that has the teams compete in a second leaderboard. Those who take that extra step in protecting the planet and increasing the inclusivity of sailing are rewarded.
Already five seasons deep, SailGP will make a welcome return to the UK on July 19-20 when Portsmouth host the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix – the eighth event of the 2025 campaign.
Despite being in relative infancy, SailGP have managed to attract many high-profile investors with several coming from the world of sport. Real Madrid and France superstar Kylian Mbappe is perhaps the pick of the bunch with the 26-year-old investing in France’s SailGP team through his company ‘Coalition Capital’.
The footballer will have to come against a formidable Germany team who are co-owned by four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel. After leaving F1 in 2022, the Red Bull legend opted for SailGP in his next sporting venture, alongside double Olympic sailing bronze medallist Erik Heil.
Ben Ainslie – the most successful sailor in Olympic history with five medals (four gold) in five consecutive Games – owns the Emirates Great Britain team. The USA SailGP team has several investors including former boxing heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, and NFL stars DeAndre Hopkins, Malik Jackson.
The trio are also joined by ex-Sunderland striker Jozy Altidore, actress and producer Issa Rae, as well as entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. Three-time Olympic medallist Lindsey Vonn also recently joined the US Board of Directors.
The competition – which features 12 different countries – compete in races usually located in the middle of the cities they’re located in. The races last around 15-20 minutes with teams earning points throughout the season which leads to the Grand Final in the last race of the campaign.
Positions within a team include the likes of a driver, strategists, trimmers, grinders, and flight controllers and the team with the most points in the finale will be crowned The Rolex SailGP Champions.
