Today in Beijing it was announced that The Green Team has been officially named The Green Dragon Team, after securing title sponsorship from a syndicate of Chinese companies. The team will now move forward under the official entry name and their new livery will be unveiled over the coming weeks.

The Green Dragon will be skippered by double Olympic medallist Ian Walker in the next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race starting in Alicante, Spain on 4 October. For the first time in the race’s 35 year history, China will not only host a three week stopover for the race in the Olympic sailing venue, Qingdao, but become the first Chinese sponsorship of a Volvo Ocean Race entry.

The team already holds strong Chinese links – the boat was constructed by a team of 90 Chinese boat builders at McConaghy Boats in Zhuhai, and is the first Volvo Open 70 boat to be built in China.

“We are delighted to be able to finally announce our title sponsorship. Having built the boat in China we have developed a close relationship with a number of companies who were interested in being involved in the Volvo Ocean Race. The exposure that this sponsorship will bring the team is enormous,” Jamie Boag, CEO The Green Dragon Team.

With the sponsorship agreement finalized, now comes the search for a Chinese crewmember. The Green Dragon Team will be co-ordinating the search, and skipper Ian Walker has outlined what he is looking for: “We would like to see Chinese sailors who are competing at this summers Olympics applying along with members of Team China America’s Cup syndicate. However this does not preclude any sailor who is not already established from applying for the position if they feel they have what it takes. We will bring up to 5 potential Chinese crewmembers to Ireland in August to train with the team; from there we will select the final crewmember.”

The current Green Dragon Team crew includes four previous competitors of the Volvo Ocean Race, including one winner.