Galway marked the end of the transatlantic leg of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2009. In 2011-12, Ireland will once again feature as the Volvo fleet will race from Lorient (France) to the West coast of Ireland on the final leg of the round-the-world race. Galway will also host the prize giving.

The Prime Minister of Ireland, Brian Cowen, stated: “The 2009 stopover in Galway made an abiding impression on the sailors, support crews, organisers and media, who were immersed in the warmth of an Irish welcome. Their presence, in turn, had an enormous beneficial impact on Galway, the west of Ireland and indeed the entire country. Their arrival here was spectacular and their visit helped generate a massive 55 million Euros for the regional economy… Given its economic benefits and its importance to Irish tourism, I am more than happy to welcome the return of the Volvo Ocean Race to our shores and pledge our support for the event”.

Over 600,000 supporters visited the Galway race village during the 2009 stopover, with the crowd peaking at 62,000 people on in-port race day alone.

“The interest in hosting the Volvo Ocean Race, particularly in Europe, has been quite overwhelming,” said Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad, as the last of the European ports was unveiled.  “I am very proud to confirm Ireland’s participation and Galway will be a magnificent port to stage the finish of the event.”

For more, visit www.volvooceanrace.com