LES SABLES D'OLONNE, FRANCE - OCTOBER 23, 2024: General view of the public in the village of the Vendee Globe, on October 23, 2024 in Les Sables d'Olonne, France - (Photo by Vincent Curutchet / Alea)

With less than a week to go before the start of the 2024 Vendée Globe, interest in the quadrennial solo ocean race is setting records.

This edition, which departs from France on Sunday, 10 November 2024, features a record 40 skippers, represents 11 nationalities, and has attracted 360,000 visitors to the Race Village in the first week, an increase of 20 per cent compared to 2016. The number of viewers following the circumnavigation on television and online is also rising, according to organisers.

During the first week, the Vendée Globe village welcomed over 360,000 visitors, surpassing 2016 figures by more than 20 per cent. (The 2020 edition was disrupted by the pandemic).

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“After eight years of waiting, the public’s enthusiasm for the race is obvious, and we have had to increase our resources to meet this massive influx,” says Alain Leboeuf, president of the Vendée Globe and the Vendée Department. In 2016, the village attracted a total of 1.15m visitors throughout the start period, and the current figures suggest a potential new record.

Television coverage for the start of the 2024 Vendée Globe — widely considered the world’s toughest solo ocean race — is expected to increase, with 60 broadcasters planned to transmit the live TV signal, compared to 41 during the previous edition, marking a 46 per cent increase. This includes 19 French broadcasters (up from 13 in 2020) and 41 international broadcasters (up from 28 in 2020), indicating the event’s growing international presence.

Nanni partners with Arnaud Boissières for Vendée Globe 2024

Web traffic is also increasing, with a 24 per cent rise in visits to the Vendée Globe website since the village opened, compared to the same period in 2020. Additionally, nearly 20 percent more participants are registered for the official Virtual Regatta game compared to the same date in 2020.

The 2024 Vendée Globe features a rich and international field with 11 nationalities represented among the 40 skippers at the start.

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