SFFD: Don't fly drones at Sail Grand Prix races
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) is warning sailing fans to not operate drones during this weekend's Sail Grand Prix (SailGP) races.
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The Rolex SailGP Championship, which brings teams competing from all over the globe, and the Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix occur back-to-back respectively on Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23 along the Marina Green.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, SFFD wrote, 'Are you going to see the sailboat races at Marina Green on Sunday 03/23/2025? Drones are prohibited.'
Officials confirmed that the event area is an Air Exclusion Zone, meaning unauthorized drones are banned 'in the vicinity of the event site and near the water race course.' The major concern is drones are potentially dangerous for helicopters that are operating in the area.
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Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
AI Impact Awards 2025: SailGP Delivers Data to Teams, Augmented Reality to Fans
How do you create an intimate fan experience for an event that takes place miles away from shore? Artificial intelligence. High-speed catamaran racing series SailGP is doing just that, providing fans with a deeper understanding of the sport and enhancing the entertainment factor. SailGP is the winner of Newsweek's AI Impact award in the category of Best Outcomes, Sports Broadcasting/Streaming for redefining data-led sports storytelling through AI to bring sailing to new fans. Each year, the Rolex SailGP Championship features 12 national teams battling for a title, sailing identical 50-foot catamarans at speeds well over 60 miles per hour. Racers from Great Britain, Switzerland and Australia, among others, race on waterfronts in New York City, Sydney, Auckland, Dubai and beyond. SailGP has taken a fan-first approach to the events, catering to both those in the grandstands and those watching at home. Broadcasts reach more than 200 million TVs across 212 countries and territories. During a race, SailGP uses Oracle Cloud Insights to process 56 billion points of data via 125 sensors on each boat. That data is received via a private 5G network using RF mesh. The result is a product called LiveLine, an augmented reality (AR) overlay tool that helps existing and new fans better understand the on-screen action of the races. "The use of AI almost feels like a natural progression, given that we're a sport that's heavily based on on data," Melissa Lawton, chief content officer at SailGP, told Newsweek. "And because we're such a data rich sport, we can do a lot with that." AI Impact Winner: SAIL GP AI Impact Winner: SAIL GP Newsweek Illustration No matter where the race is happening, LiveLine is produced from SailGP's offices in London. New graphics opportunities that push the boundaries of fan interactions are delivered to television screens. AI helps make that happen. Using AI image detection, the boat cameras detect human shapes, strides and biometrics to generate AR identifier graphics for athletes as they move around the boat. This helps viewers at home identify the individuals, who generally all look nearly identical to the naked eye with matching wetsuits, goggles and helmets. "The athletes go from side to side. And one of our really big issues was, as this camera is following athletes going from side to side, [viewers] couldn't really detect who the athletes were. And for a new viewer, everyone looks the same," Lawton said. "Using AI image detection to figure out the height of the athlete, the weight, their stride, length, their positioning, through that same sort of algorithm to then automatically pop the athlete's name above the head in a moving graphic. That graphic that sort of moves with them in augmented reality, in our augmented reality suite of graphics. This is revolution." Using AI predictions, SailGP can display to viewers which boat has the right of way while showing explainer graphics on the screen. SailGP was recognized as Best Outcomes, Sports Broadcasting/Streaming in the Sports category. There were more than a dozen, including ones focused on sustainability, health care and customer service. The 38 total winners were selected by a panel of AI and subject matter experts. Additionally, AI-powered race marks, developed in partnership with ePropulsion, use GPS, negating the need to anchor each mark to the sea bed, avoiding damaging the local environment. These marks have AI-operated cameras that use Oracle's anomaly detection software to predict which boats are most likely to experience an issue, crash or near miss. Lawton said: "If the boats look like they're about to collide, or in a position where they could be on a trajectory to collide immediately, or if something's not working optimally on the boat, it sends a signal directly to our data analysts and the team to give them a warning. "This anomaly detection is actually a medical tool that vendors of Oracle use to find medical issues within the human body. They can sort of say, 'this is an unusual cell,' or deep detection of a medical issue can be found by using literally data and analytics through AI." Buoys equipped with cameras are able to capture footage that is traditionally unavailable. "They are in the middle of the racecourse in, I would say, an area that would be too dangerous for a human to be gives us really cool shots that we can post either immediately to social [media] and really fun and weird shots that we can send straight out that our fans love. SailGP's AI-enhanced race coverage for television audiences. SailGP's AI-enhanced race coverage for television audiences. SailGP "It gives us another angle on crashes that we wouldn't have just through our broadcast available camera... I would say it's a camera that's always knowing where the excitement might be happening, and therefore is more efficient for us," Lawton said. Efficiencies have been achieved in procuring and producing video, as well as gathering and understanding data, but that doesn't mean SailGP is eliminating positions within the company. Instead, they're growing their team, capitalizing on priorities and opportunities as it builds its audience. "In live sports, the faster we can get content out, the faster we can get relevant content out, the more consistently we can get it out, the better it is for our overall viewership and numbers down the line," Lawton said. To see the full list of AI Impact winners, visit the official page for Newsweek's AI Impact Awards. Newsweek will continue the conversation on meaningful AI innovations at our AI Impact Summit from June 23 to 25 in Sonoma, California. Click here for more information and to register for the event.


Business Wire
3 days ago
- Business Wire
Ares Management Acquires Stake in France SailGP Team
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SailGP announced today that Ares Sports, Media and Entertainment funds ('Ares') have acquired a minority stake in the France SailGP Team. The strategic investment marks Ares' entry into SailGP, reinforcing the growing momentum behind the global racing championship. The firm joins a consortium of investors in the France SailGP Team, including international football superstar Kylian Mbappé. SailGP Managing Director Andrew Thompson said, 'Today is an exciting milestone for SailGP, as we welcome Ares to our growing group of investors and team owners. The investment in our French team by an organization with a stellar portfolio of first-rate sports properties underlines the strength of SailGP's global league model and reinforces the commercial potential of our teams. Ares brings both institutional capital and deep strategic insights – they'll be a highly-valuable collaborator in growing the French team and the Rolex SailGP Championship more broadly.' Jim Miller, Co-Lead of Ares' Sports, Media and Entertainment strategy said, 'SailGP has achieved impressive growth across its teams, viewership and engagement, and we are thrilled to enter the league and join the France SailGP Team's existing owners group at this inflection point. With the team's expanding ecosystem of dedicated athletes, sponsors and fans, alongside Ares' experience investing in premier global sports teams, we are eager to lend our capabilities as the team continues to build on its momentum.' A leading global alternative investment manager, Ares Management has an extensive track record in sports, media and entertainment investing. Ares' investment in the France SailGP team expands its existing portfolio of professional sports team investments, including Inter Miami CF, McLaren Racing and Atlético de Madrid, among others. ABOUT SAILGP | The most exciting racing on water, the Rolex SailGP Championship sees national teams battling it out in identical high-tech, high-speed 50-foot foiling catamarans at iconic venues around the world. Racing faster than the wind at speeds approaching 100 km/h (60 mph), SailGP is driven by the sport's top athletes, with national pride, personal glory, and a total prize money of US $12 million at stake. Visit to find out more.


New York Times
3 days ago
- New York Times
Move over, Mbappe: SailGP's France franchise gets new investment from Ares Management
Ares Management has taken a minority stake in the France SailGP team, becoming the latest Wall Street player to invest in an up-and-coming global sports league. While financial terms were not disclosed, the deal places Ares alongside a diverse ownership group that includes Kylian Mbappé's Coalition Capital and is led by French Olympian Quentin Delapierre. The France SailGP Team is operated by K-Challenge and backed by Accor, one of the world's largest hospitality brands. Sportsology Capital Partners also joined the team's ownership group with this transaction. Advertisement Ares, a $428 billion alternative investment giant, is no stranger to sports. Its $3.7 billion sports fund has previously invested in the Miami Dolphins, Inter Miami CF, McLaren Racing and Atlético Madrid. The firm's bet on the high-tech, high-speed world of foiling catamarans signals growing investor confidence in SailGP's model, a centralized league shifting rapidly to private franchise ownership. 'SailGP and the France Team have achieved exciting growth in recent years, attracting dedicated fans and viewership, iconic sponsors and experienced owners,' Jim Miller, co-lead of Ares' Sports, Media and Entertainment strategy told The Athletic. He added that the league is 'at an inflection point,' referencing surging viewership and commercial interest. 'We are excited to contribute our financial and strategic support, including leveraging our deep experience in sports investing, to help access additional growth opportunities that will build on the France Team's success.' SailGP, the professional sailing circuit founded in 2019 by Oracle's Larry Ellison and Olympic sailing champion Russell Coutts, pits national teams against each other in custom-built F50 boats capable of hitting speeds as high as 60mph and has made significant inroads with investors over the past 18 months. Last week, Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman took ownership of SailGP's Australian team. Reynolds also holds stakes in Wrexham AFC and the Alpine F1 team. Meanwhile in May, a consortium led by Muse Capital founding partner Assia Grazioli-Venier and including actor Anne Hathaway acquired the Italy SailGP team, at a $45 million valuation. 'Now in our fifth season, we are at an incredibly exciting stage of our journey as a commercially viable global racing championship that's proving we are here to stay,' Andy Thompson, SailGP Managing Director, told The Athletic. According to Thompson, SailGP is currently selling teams in excess of $50 million and is planning on continuing to expand in 2026.