The Sultanate of Oman will create a rare slice of sporting history when it becomes the first country in the Middle East to host America’s Cup racing by staging the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman in February 2016.

A point-scoring event for the opening stages of the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda, the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Oman will take place in Muscat from 27-28 February, as the curtain raiser to the 2016 season, which will be spread over six different venues around the world.

Near perfect sailing conditions that consistently deliver a 10-15 knot breeze combined with a sunny climate and warm waters have made Oman a popular destination for many Olympic Classes that have chosen to stage their World Championships at a time of year when the weather in Europe and North America limits training opportunities.

The 2015 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series events in Portsmouth (UK), Gothenburg (Sweden) and Bermuda, with teams entered from the UK, USA, Sweden, New Zealand, Japan and France, attracted enormous crowds at the venues with live action followed on television by tens of millions around the world.