#VOR - Despite hopes within Galway after last summer's successful conclusion to the Volvo Ocean Race, it's been announced that the next edition of the round-the-world yachting challenge will have its finish line in Sweden.
Gothenburg was chosen last week as the final stop for the 12th running of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2014-15. It will be the second time the city - also the headquarters of the title sponsor - has hosted the race after the 2005-06 running.
"Gothenburg is the perfect place to finish a global event of this stature," said Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad. "It's great to know that after sailing tens of thousands of miles around the world we'll be coming to a host port with all the facilities and knowhow to make this a great event, and the history to make it feel like a real homecoming."
The deal announced on Friday also secures Gothenburg's place on the race route for the 13th edition of the race.
It is the fifth of the hosts port announced so far, after the race start at Alicante in Spain, two stopovers in Brazil and a return visit to Auckland in New Zealand.
According to Galway Bay FM, the City of the Tribes is still in the running among 100 host cities that have registered an interest to host the VOR on its next sail around the world.
This is despite claims that last summer's finale organiser Let's Do It Global could be faced with liquidation due to failure to meet its outstanding debts from the event, said to amount to almost half a million euro.
As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Dun Laoghaire may consider its own tender to host the race to cash in on the success of the event for local business and tourism in Galway last year.
