Embarking on History: Concord Pacific Racing Propels Team Canada's Pursuit of the Inaugural Puig Women's America's Cup

Concord Pacific Racing, RBC and TELUS provide lead sponsorship support for Canada's youth and women's teams

VANCOUVER, BC, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Team Canada announced that three of Canada's leading corporations, Concord Green Energy (Concord Pacific), RBC and TELUS, will sponsor its historic bid at the inaugural Puig Women's America's Cup and the UniCredit Youth America's Cup in Barcelona this year. 

With a commitment to advancing gender equity and nurturing young Canadian talent, Concord Pacific, RBC and TELUS will support in heralding a new era of Canadian sailing.

Sailing under the banner of Concord Pacific Racing, the Canadian teams have their sights set on victory, aiming to etch their names in history as one of the first women's teams to compete in a prestigious new chapter of America's Cup history spanning 173 years. The UniCredit Youth America's Cup begins on September 17, and the Puig Women's America's Cup starts on October 5.

Racing in the cutting-edge AC40 which employs the latest in foil and sail technology to fly the boats above the water at exhilarating speeds of up to 100 kph, the Concord Pacific Racing Women's team is led by veteran Vancouver sailor and Team Captain, Isabella Bertold.

As strategist for the Canada SailGP Team, with 15 years of representing the Canadian National Team, including two World Cup medals, Bertold brings a wealth of experience and determination to the helm.

Reflecting on the significance of this momentous occasion, Bertold said, "I feel incredibly proud to represent Canada on the world stage in this historic first Women's America's Cup. With women's sport finally taking centre stage, it's fantastic to see Concord Pacific championing our cause alongside RBC and TELUS. Together we want to break barriers, inspire the next generation, and take Canadian sailing to new heights." 

The full squads for Concord Pacific Racing's Women's and Youth teams will be announced on May 15.

Tam Matthews, Chair of the Team Canada America's Cup Board said: "This is truly a historic moment for Canada, the world of sailing and for women and youth in particular. We are proud to be building a new platform and legacy that will inspire generations to come."

Terry Hui, President and CEO of Concord Pacific, emphasised the natural synergy in supporting the Canadian Youth and Women's teams. As a competitive sailor himself, he recognises the historical moment it represents for advancing opportunities for women in sailing. "Participation in the America's Cup will inspire a future generation of sailors in Canada," Hui said. "Internationally, this will be the key to open a traditionally conservative sport to a new wave of development and participation for women."

"RBC is a long-standing supporter of Canadian athletes and we recognize the critical need to help advance women in sport at all levels," said Shannon Cole, Vice President, Brand Marketing, RBC. "We're proud to sponsor Team Canada's women and youth sailing teams and cheer them on at the first ever Puig Women's America's Cup – a significant milestone for this incredible sport."

"It's an honour to partner with like-minded organizations, like Team Canada and their women's and youth sailing teams, that are committed to driving positive social change in our communities and enabling equitable access, opportunity and recognition for female and youth athletes," said Jill Schnarr, Chief Social Innovation, Communications and Brand Officer, TELUS. "With the America's Cup hosting an all female regatta for the first time, in addition to Team Canada competing in the Youth America's Cup for the first time in history, it's a very exciting time to elevate and empower women and youth in the sport of sailing.  As a lead sponsor of Team Canada, we proudly look forward to cheering on our National team at the Women's America's Cup and Youth America's Cup."

The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club is the proud supporting club behind the successful Canadian bid to be one of 12 challengers in the Puig Women's America's Cup and UniCredit Youth America's Cup.

Dilawri, Canada's largest automotive group and a leader in teamwork and innovation, has signed on as the team's official sponsor and is excited to support the Concord Pacific Racing team as they prepare for Barcelona. Concord Pacific Racing is also supported by its suppliers Vaikobi, Maximizer CRM and liv.rent.

You can follow all the action of Concord Pacific Racing on Instagram or at the team  website.

Notes to editors:

Day of photos, video and interviews can be found here.

About Concord Pacific Racing:

Team Canada's goal is to win the first-ever Women's America's Cup and the Youth America's Cup regattas in Barcelona 2024, inspiring greater participation, excellence and pride across Canada. Team Canada consists of two distinct squads: the Women's team and the Youth team. The athletes will train together but compete in separate races. The Women's team, composed of a crew of four led by Isabella Bertold, competes during the America's Cup Final series in early October 2024. Andrew Wood is the Youth Team Lead, and similar to the women, also has a four-person crew that will compete in September. 

More about Concord Pacific visit: concordpacific.com
More about Concord Green Energy visit: concordgreenenergy.ca
More about RBC Royal Bank visit: rbcroyalbank.com

About Concord Pacific and Concord Green Energy: 

Terry Hui's Concord Pacific Group has had a 35-year commitment to environmental responsibility in all aspects of its operations and transit-oriented community builds in Canada, the US, and London, UK. Through Concord Green Energy, Concord Pacific has emerged as a leader in the clean energy sector over the past 14 years through numerous hydro, solar, and wind projects in 5 provinces. With the completion of Tilley Solar this year, Concord Green Energy will surpass 300MW in its active portfolio. Concord has another 600 MWs in various stages of planning and development including the $5B, 375 MW Amisk Hydroelectric project in Alberta, Canada. The project will bring $4B in economic activity to Alberta and generate 1000 jobs during its construction.

About TELUS:

(TSX: T) (NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with more than $20 billion in annual revenue and over 19 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. Our social purpose is to leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to drive social change and enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. The numerous, sustained accolades TELUS has earned over the years from independent, industry-leading network insight firms showcase the strength and speed of TELUS' global-leading networks, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better.

Operating in 32 countries around the world, TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that designs, builds, and delivers next-generation solutions, including AI and content moderation, for global and disruptive brands across strategic industry verticals, including tech and games, communications and media, eCommerce and fintech, banking, financial services and insurance, healthcare, and others.

TELUS Health is a global healthcare leader, which provides employee and family primary and preventive healthcare and wellbeing solutions. Our TELUS team, along with our 100,000 health professionals, are leveraging the combination of TELUS' strong digital and data analytics capabilities with our unsurpassed client service to dramatically improve remedial, preventive and mental health outcomes covering nearly 70 million lives, and growing, around the world. As the largest provider of digital solutions and digital insights of its kind, TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods enables efficient and sustainable production from seed to store, helping improve the safety and quality of food and other goods in a way that is traceable to end consumers.

Driven by our determination and vision to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS and our team to contribute $1.7 billion, including 2.2 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world. Together, let's make the future friendly.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us at @TELUSNews on X and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.

Media contacts: Concord Pacific Group, Peter Udzenija, [e-mail], 604.762.4872; Team Canada UniCredit Youth and the Puig Women's America's Cup: James Rigby, [e-mail], [phone]

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