3 different sports disciplines, 3 different regions, 5 competitions: the VSG CUP team championship returns this year, an event that the friends of our tourist port in Genoa Marina Porto Antico have already learned to know. Where did such an initiative, inter-sport and inter-regional, originate? At the foundation of the VSG CUP is the passion for different sports, the desire to be together, the wish to stay in contact with nature, as well as the will to have fun and enjoy company even during the winter months, when for example boating tends to slow down a bit. Let’s look at the unique characteristics of the VSG CUP Championship, including competitions, categories, teams, prizes and overall program.

The VSG CUP Championship: a Unique Competition

The VSG CUP Championship is a succession of team challenges in different places and in different disciplines. We are talking about two sailing races in the sea that bathes Genoa, two ski races – giant slalom – respectively at Oasi Zegna, in Piedmont, and on Alpe Cermis, in Trentino, and a golf trophy, in Piedmont. This decidedly different formula for understanding a sports championship has been very well received: last year for example the VSG CUP counted 25 registered crews, with over 500 athletes participating overall.

Sport but not Only: VSG CUP is also Discovery and Conviviality

What drives us at Marina Porto Antico and the other organizers to form a stable committee to structure and promote the VSG CUP Championship, beyond the desire to have fun, to be together and to stay in contact with nature during the months less “busy” with boating, is the awareness of having in our hands a project in which what emerges above all is the amateur spirit, with competition naturally taking second place. Certainly, at the center of the VSG CUP are the sailing races, skiing and golf tournament, but all around there are moments of discovery and conviviality. So then on the occasion of competitions here in Genoa, in Piedmont and in Trentino, dinners, winery visits, aperitifs, e-bike rides, walks in the countryside, itineraries to discover local beauties will be organized from time to time. Needless to say, we at Marina Porto Antico will be playing at home in the Genoese stages dedicated to sailing races, making participants discover some gems of our wonderful capital city.

Everyone Can Excel: the Categories

The VSG CUP Championship allows and stimulates the practice of sports that are normally not associated with each other. It is therefore completely natural that those who choose to participate in the competition cannot excel in all three sports disciplines. An expert sailor, for example, could be a budding skier, or a beginner golfer. With the VSG championship we do not want to privilege any particular sport, and we want to give everyone the opportunity to win or place in a good position. For this reason each race provides divisions into categories: in the case of giant slalom, for example, skiers who practice skiing at a professional level, FIS athletes and ski instructors will be placed in one category, while amateurs will compete in another category. Thanks to this subdivision, no one is automatically precluded from access to podium positions, knowing moreover that there are additional categories based on the age of participants.

Team Formation for the VSG CUP

It should also not be forgotten that, being a team championship, friends can create teams with varied skills, as well as possibly invite “guests” for specific races. A team devoted mainly to skiing or golf, for example, can invite a skipper to have extra help during sailing races in the sea of Genoa. We on the organizing committee are moreover available to those who need a hand in forming their team, or to those who instead wish to join a team looking for crew. And again, we are available to find boats on which to compete.

Prizes at Stake and Sponsors

The score of the various teams will be calculated based on results in the various competitions: it goes without saying that, given the nature of the championship, what will count above all is consistency. Certainly, it is absolutely possible to register only for one event or only for some races, such as only for the Genoa sailing races: those who participate in all races, however, will be able to more easily increase their final score.

The important thing, in any case, is to participate and have fun. To concretely emphasize this concept there is our regulation, which provides cups and medals for winners but also prizes drawn among all participants. And what prizes! Our sponsor Rossignol, for example, offers for each race technical sports clothing as well as, for the final awards ceremony, skis. The new Genoese jewelry brand Ness1, another event sponsor, instead offers a wonderful jewel, a work of art in gold and diamonds in limited edition. And again, we are talking about a weekend cruise on a Kufner 54, electronic devices and so on.

The VSG CUP Championship 2023/2024 Program

Here are the dates and locations of the VSG CUP championship 2023/2024: your team can register for a single event, multiple races or the entire championship:

October 14, 2023: Championship opening, first Sailing Race – Genoa

January 20, 2024: First Ski Race (Giant Slalom) – Oasi Zegna, Bielmonte (BI)

March 13, 2024: Second Ski Race (Giant Slalom) – Alpe Cermis, Cavalese (TN)

April 14, 2024: Golf Trophy – Golf Club Cavaglià (BI)

May 4, 2024: Second and final Sailing Race (three “A Bastone” races) – Genoa

The start of the new team championship will therefore be in a few days: see you on October 14 for the first sailing regatta, here in Genoa! Visit the website vsgcup.it for further information and to proceed with registration.