Swedish company Sailnet recently announced the Lysekil Women’s Match, a new women’s match racing event to be sailed on 3-8 August 2004, with 40,000 euros prizemoney.

Oil company Preem and the municipality of Lysekil are backing the event, which will be organised by the yacht club Lysekils SS Gullmar. Initiator and project manager Anna Holmdahl says: “We’ve fought long for this, and are overjoyed to see the Lysekil Women’s Match finally becoming reality.”

Matchracing ace Magnus Holmberg, voted Yachtsman of the Year three times in Sweden, and the man who came up with the idea for the Swedish Match Cup ten years ago plays a part, sharing his wide experience, as something of a mentor for Anna Holmdahl. Holmberg says: “At the moment, Anna is where I was when we got the Swedish Match Cup started. It’s very satisfying to be able to support her in her work with the Lysekil Women’s Match.”

The invitations for the event have recently been sent out and a number of skippers have already accepted. Frenchwomen Claire Leroy, Marie Faure and Christine Briand will be there, as will Danes Nina Braestrup and Lotte Meldgaard-Pedersen.

American Elizabeth Kratzig will compete and Malin Källström from the GKSS in Göteborg as well as fellow club member Marie Björling, have also joined the line-up. Björling, who has been number one on the world ranking for more than two years says: ” I’m so looking forward to sailing in Lysekil, in the first really major event for us ladies.”