in a first for south america, 2012 saw rio de janeiro play host to the finale of the extreme sailing series - the culmination of eleven months of hard competition, the series finale was over four days, in various locations in the city to determine.

the event came to rio de janeiro because of the city's great aquatic attractions and iconic landmarks - filled with legendary sporting tradition the city was the perfect fit to host the first extreme sailing finale in south america.

considered the most challenging sailing race in the world, the ocean race takes participants around the whole world in a true test of endurance and skill - taking place once every three years the race has a number of legs, and stop-off locations, with rio de janeiro playing an important role in the race's history.