Volvo Ocean Race
Friday 30 July 2010, 15:00 GMT
The Mayor of Itajaí and distinguished guests from the Port and Local Government of the Brazilian Stopover, visited the Volvo Ocean Race Headquarters this week in Alicante.
The group included Jandir Bellini, Prefeito Municipal Itajaí Celio, Jose Bernardino, Secretario Executivo AMFRI, Robert Grantham, Commercial Director Porto de Itajaí and Joao Luiz Demantova, representing the Federal Deputy Mr Paulo Bornhausen.
The meetings mark the start of detailed planning for the stopover, which will host the race fleet in April 2012. Itajaí is renovating a large area in the port to accommodate the Race Village and the Volvo Open 70 fleet and everyone involved is very excited about the project and the legacy the race will leave in the city.
(l-r) Knut Frostad, CEO Volvo Ocean Race; Celio Jose Bernardino, Secretario Executivo AMFRI; Robert Grantham, Commercial Director Porto de Itajaí; Sonia Alegria Polo, Delegada de Presidencia y Coordinacion de Areas Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Alicante; Andres Llorens, Deputy Mayor de Alicante; Jandir Bellini, Prefeito Municipal Itajaí; Joao Luiz Demantova, representing Federal Deputy Mr Paulo Bornhausen
During their visit, the Brazilian delegation received a warm welcome from the city of Alicante at the spectacular Town Hall. They were met by Andres Llorens, Deputy Mayor de Alicante and Sonia Alegria Polo, Delegada de Presidencia, and discussed their cities and the similarities between them.
Hot topics included the benefits of being a Host City of the Volvo Ocean Race and a student exchange programme, which both Itajaí and Alicante are running independently to the Race.
Planning for all the stopovers is in full swing and soon the Volvo Ocean Race operations team will be making their way around the globe, building on their past work with the Host City organizing bodies and continuing their detailed preparations for the next edition.
With only 457 days until the start of the Race, the team is focused on producing the best Volvo Ocean Race to date.