Podcast: SailGP vs America's Cup: Can they coexist?

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Sailing has never been healthier – and on this week's pod, that's exactly the problem.

Episode 26 sees Neil Cole, Andy Rice, Lewis Smith and Freddie Carr wrestle with a question that's been sitting uncomfortably in the background: with SailGP, AmericasCup and the Olympics all booming at once, can they share a calendar – or will they start eating each other alive?

The team trace the rivalry back to Bermuda 2017 and the framework agreement Grant Dalton never signed, then lay out just how tight the 2027 calendar really is – nine SailGP weekends, new AC75s splashing and a Cup to be won, plus an Olympic qualification cycle all fighting for the same patch of summer.

Freddie, who knows the Cup's demands better than most, weighs life-changing SailGP prize money against the historical pull of helming a Cup boat, while Lewis – a former World Sailing insider – explains why the governing body faces an almost impossible juggling act. There's a hard look at the cautionary tale of golf's PGA–LIV war, a debate over who actually has the clout to knock heads together, and a real worry that the Olympics, and the women and youth coming through, could be the ones squeezed out.

There's also offshore news, a look at Foiling Week, and a closing poll that has the panel split. Which one would you go for: SailGP riches, an Olympic gold, or the Auld Mug?

00:00:00 Start
00:08:01 Comparing the 2024 and 2027 calendars
00:16:38 Comparing sailing leagues to global football
00:22:43 New pathways for women in professional sailing
00:28:42 Who has the power to fix this?
00:35:54 World Sailing's priorities and the Olympics
00:40:47 Are we privileged to have calendar problems?
00:48:14 A blue sky idea for Olympic qualification