EC English Language Centres, the Malta-headquartered international tuition group, has exclusively sponsored the participation of the Malta 49er team, Seb Ripard and Benji Borg, in the European leg of the Extreme Sailing Series.

For the ESS, the Malta 49er team will be known as Team EC.

The Maltese team is one of eight invited to take part in the inaugural 49er class of the European leg of the Extreme Sailing Series. Since 2007, the Extreme Sailing Series has become a benchmark in the sailing world, with Extreme 40s battling it out on courses around the world. This year, the Extreme Sailing Series is a nine-event global circuit, with 49ers taking part for the first time.

Ripard and Borg have been invited to take part in the four events in the European circuit, and will be joining some of the biggest names in competitive sailing.

“The ESS races are covered by major TV networks globally,” Seb Ripard, 24, explained. “This will really raise the profile of sailing in Malta, while it will give us some top-class racing experience in the run-up to the Olympics.”

EC chairman Andrew Mangion explained the group had been sponsoring the Malta 49er team for the past year. Support was extended to the ESS as it will enable the team to compete at the highest level.

Team EC will be competing in August in Cowes, UK, in August, before eventsn in Trapani, Nice, and Almeria in Spain in mid-October.

Last year, the Extreme Sailing Series attracted coverage in more 120 countries by CNN, Channel 4, Bloomberg, Sky Sports in the UK and New Zealand, Fox Sport Australia, France’s Sport+ and ESPN Brazil.