SailGP x NEAR: Leveraging Web3 to Build the Future of Fandom

NEARWEEK recently got to visit the tech zone with SailGP at the ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix in Copenhagen to get an update on the multi-year, global league partnership NEAR unveiled earlier this year. While it is an adrenaline rush to see the NEAR brand flying above the water on the foiling F50 catamarans reaching speeds of up to 60 mph and broadcast around the world, the most exciting elements of the partnership are behind the scenes. This groundbreaking partnership is driving innovation in the world of sport through web3 technology.

You will also find SailGP at NEARCON so don’t miss the chance of asking your questions directly to the team. SailGP put forward this exclusive offer: Everyone attenting to NEARCON will be able to receive a discount for the Spain Sail Grand Prix, Andalucia-Cadiz presented by NEAR on the 24–25th of September as well as an in-depth behind the scenes tour for the SailGP’s tech zone.

SailGP & Web3

SailGP is a global racing property, and like NEAR, built on technology with purpose. With a shared ethos as the world’s first carbon positive sport, SailGP will inspire traditional race enthusiasts and new global audiences to explore, engage with, and experience new technology platforms including web3.

SailGP’s deep seated belief is that technology can play a key role in advancing sport. Acting on its desire to innovate, SailGP entered into a partnership with NEAR Protocol that will see SailGP integrate NEAR into its fast growing league, founded by Larry Ellison (Oracle) and Sir Russel Coutts.

While the tech that goes into making the carbon fiber F50’s fly above the water is impressive, it is the data infrastructure embedded in the league that is the most unique. During racing 240,000 data points per second are processed by the Oracle Cloud and are used to improve how the F50’s are raced, create the graphics used in the global broadcast, officiate the competition, and get real time race data to fans.

SailGP is re-engineering their tech stack with web3 and has committed to spend at least eight thousand development hours building world class experiences. One of their first projects in development is to use the Oracle CrowdTwist fan loyalty platform to build a best in class SailGP loyalty application with NEAR on-chain assets.

For background on SailGP, check out this intro video.

DAO Owned Team

At the partnership announcement, SailGP shared that it was open to the sale of a new team to a DAO — a first of its kind community engagement platform in professional sports.

Professional sport relies on building a passionate fanbase. In a departure from traditional sports team ownership structures, SailGP believes that a community-owned team, organized via DAO, is the ultimate implementation in the evolution of loyalty programs.

As such, SailGP has moved forward with amending its Participation Agreement (the governing framework for team entry into the championship) to allow a DAO owned team — that features broad ownership and mass engagement — to enter the league next season.

A DAO owned professional sports team is an exciting development in the evolution of web3 disrupting traditional corporate models. More details are expected to be shared by SailGP at NEARCON.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

• NEARCON: SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts, CTO Warren Jones, Director of Web3 Strategy Tod Reynolds and team will be at NEARCON to dive deeper into how the league is integrating web3 into the future of fandom, including the first DAO owned team. From hosting panel discussions with NEAR, Oracle, and AstroDAO, to a booth that will feature technical parts of the F50 catamarans, be sure to get your ticket to NEARCON to learn more about NEAR and SailGP’s partnership. Link to NEARCON shop.
• Cádiz: SailGP invites the NEAR community to come to the Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucia-Cádiz presented by NEAR, only one week after NEARCON on September 24–25 with a special discounted ticket only available to the NEAR community. During this action-packed and adrenaline-charged weekend event, NEAR community members will receive an NFT token to gain exclusive access to go behind the scenes to the technical base where the SailGP F50 catamarans are built and housed, watch the on-water race, get up close to the world-class athletes and collect NEAR-branded swag.
• Can’t make it to Spain? We invite you to come to another SailGP event and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date and how to get involved.

TL;DR

• SailGP is building the future of fandom with NEAR believe that web3 has the potential to fundamentally alter how fans engage with their teams
• SailGP is re-engineering their tech stack with web3 and one of their first projects in development is with ORACLE building an integrated fan loyalty app with NEAR on-chain assets.
• SailGP is amending its Participation Agreement to encourage a DAO to form in order to own and operate a team as soon as next season.
• Come and meet the SailGP team at NEARCON to learn more and claim your discount to participate to the Spain Sail Grand Prix.

About SailGP

SailGP races for a better future, championing a world powered by nature. The world’s most exciting race on water, SailGP features national teams battling in short, intense races at iconic stadium-style venues across the globe, building to the grand final — and sailing’s top prize of US$1 million. The high-tech, high-speed action features sailing’s best athletes racing in identical hydro foiling F50 catamarans, flying at speeds exceeding 60mph. Visit SailGP.com for more information.

About NEAR

NEAR is a high-performance blockchain that is designed to be super-fast, incredibly secure, and infinitely scalable. NEAR’s vision is to create a network that enables people to reimagine finance, creativity, and community in new and inclusive ways.

NEAR is built by an award-winning team of engineers and entrepreneurs to be simple to use, inclusive and good for the environment