The Oryx Cup is the first event in a £38m ($67.5m/EUR57m) four-year yacht race programme developed by Maiden Ocean Racing and Qatar Sports International.
The non-stop circumnavigation race starts and finishes in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The announcement, made in Doha at the race’s inaugural skippers meeting, covers the majority of top class maxi catamarans, the world’s fastest ocean going sailing craft.
Among the entrants are the Cheyenne team, Team Adventure, Geronimo, UK yachtsman Tony Bullimore, Ross Field of New Zealand, and the Middle East state’s own entry Qatar 2006.
Other events in the race programme include The Quest 2006, another round-the-world race, this time with stop-overs, and timed to start in the Qatari capital at the same time as Doha hosts the 2006 Asian Games.
Said delegate Sir Robin Knox-Johnston: “The team that Tracy has assembled is truly awe inspiring and gives us all massive confidence in their ability to put on two great events that will last long into the future.
“Anyone who doubted these events has been proved utterly and sadly misguided.”
The programme also marks a major step forward in the development of a racing circuit for maxi cats, which are best known for their record breaking exploits against the clock rather than boat-on-boat competition.
Said John Harwood Bee of Cheyenne: “I have never seen competing teams come together so enthusiastically to contribute to an open discussion on where we are going with these boats.
“It was the forum we have craved and Tracy really has captured the essence of what we need to do to move forward.
“It is incredible what she has achieved today considering the cynicism that has existed from some quarters of the sailing world.”
The Middle East: Opportunities in the Business of Sport
