03/01/2025
On January 2, 2025, the ASEAN Cup International Regatta (ACIR) kicked off in Dapeng, Shenzhen, officially unveiling the dates for the 2025 ACIR Series. The first stage of the 2025 ACIR Series will set sail in Melaka, Malaysia, from April 12 to 19, 2025. This event is co-hosted by the ASEAN Cup International Regatta Management Co., Ltd., the ASEAN-China Cultural Inter Exchange Association, the Melaka State Government, the Malaysia Tourism Board, the Jonker Street Committee and the Melaka Chief Minister’s Melaka-China Investment Office.
Teams from the 10 ASEAN member states (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos and Myanmar), as well as the East Asia Free Trade Area (China, Japan, South Korea) and the Hong Kong SAR will compete for top honors in Asia. The 2025 ACIR Series will run throughout the year, with the second stage scheduled for September in Wuxuan County, Guangxi, China and the final stage to take place in Hong Kong in December 2025. According to the rules, teams must accumulate points across the three legs to compete for the ultimate prize of HKD 1 million.
On the same day as the press conference, the ACIR Friendship Tournament began in the waters of Daya Bay. Ten teams featuring elite sailors from the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area participated, including the Peina·Matou Xiaowo team led by world champion Peina Chen, the Hong Kong team represented by the famed large sailing vessel “Sea Wolf” captain Yan Yuye and the Malaysian team. World champion Chen Peina will lead an all-female international crew in the 2025 ACIR Series. She remarked, “The ASEAN Cup is one of the most compelling sailing events in Asia in recent years and will be among the most important competitions in our 2025 schedule. I’m very much looking forward to competing for the million-dollar prize.”
The purpose of hosting the ACIR Friendship Tournament is to foster friendly exchanges among Melaka (Malaysia), Wuxuan (Guangxi, China) and Hong Kong (China) in sports, culture, tourism, trade and industrial investment, as well as to sign memoranda of understanding with strategic partners. With considerable commercial value and potential, the 2025 ACIR Series is expected to yield returns beyond expectations for host regions and sponsors, while also delivering long-term social benefits. According to Mr. Carl Law, Chairman of the ACIR, “We have meticulously developed the ACIR over the previous years in hopes of combining world-class sailing competition with a breathtaking sea, land and air spectacle, thereby attracting large crowds and extensive media attention. Our goal is to host 60,000 spectators.”
Aimed at establishing an innovative and highly appealing sailing event in Asia, the ACIR embraces the motto “ONE OCEAN. ONE ASEAN.” The ACIR will serve as a vital platform for sports, cultural and economic exchanges among ASEAN nations, presenting a close-up, high-level and thrilling sailing competition that will drive the long-term development of sailing across the region.
