MADRID, 2 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
SailGP announced this Wednesday the acquisition of the Canada SailGP Team by Doctor Greg Bailey, a Canadian doctor, financier and businessman with an outstanding career in the world of biotechnology and investments, and that he will have Gilles Scott, two-time Olympic gold medalist, as pilot.
“It was important to me to ensure that Canada continued to be represented in SailGP. With this announcement, the team will not only continue competing in the league, but has every chance of being on the podium this year,” said Bailey, co-founder and CEO of ‘Juvenescence’, as well as president of ‘Max Insurance’, a Canadian insurance company.
Canada is the second team and ownership to be confirmed ahead of the 2024-2025 sailing season which begins this November in Dubai. The full line-up will be announced soon, with further team sales still to be announced in the coming weeks for a fleet of eleven national teams on the start line for the first round, the largest to date.
“We are delighted to confirm the sale of the Canada SailGP Team and welcome Dr. Greg Bailey to the league’s ownership group. Canada is one of the fastest growing emerging markets in SailGP, and we are excited to strengthen our presence in the country with a Canadian team and the announcement of a local event for 2026,” said SailGP CEO Andrew Thompson.
For the manager, “this news marks another milestone in SailGP’s objective of growing and professionalizing the sport of sailing.” “SailGP continues to attract interest from different investors and properties. In many ways, this transaction validates our business model: a professional sports team has acquired a new property and, in doing so, maintains its position in the league; as far as I know, this has not happened before in sailing,” he pointed out.
For his part, Gilles Scott was “very excited to represent Canada next season.” “Winning the inaugural event in Canada last season was an unforgettable experience; the energy of the Canadian fans was incomparable. Canada has already proven to be very competitive and I am determined to build on that success with a talented team by my side,” he said.
Scott assumed the role of driver for the Canadian team midway through Season 4 of the competition, leading them to victory at their home Grand Prix in Halifax, followed by two consecutive podiums at the American rounds in New York and San Francisco.
Along with Scott, the Canada SailGP Team has managed to retain the team’s top talent, including flight controller Billy Gooderham, wing trimmer Paul Campbell-James, as well as grinders Tim Hornsby, Jareese Finch, Cooper Dressler and Tom Ramshaw. Strategist Annie Haeger will also continue and will be joined by Georgia Lewin-LaFrance, who returns to the team after her final Olympic campaign in 2024. Joe Glanfield also returns as head coach.