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Eighteen thrill seekers have been selected to represent the upscale tropical resort of Sanya, China, as they embark on an adventure of a lifetime racing across oceans in the Clipper 2019-20 Round the World Yacht Race.

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Following a grueling selection process, sixteen adventurous candidates, including a graphic designer, CEO, bilingual event host, snowboard instructor student and engineer, two reserves, plus one media crew member were chosen to form the tag team of ambassadors who will race on board the Visit Sanya, China team. Almost 40 percent are from Hainan Island, where Sanya is located, and the remaining come either have strong connections to Sanya, or currently live across Europe including UK, Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.

Their mission is to help promote China’s best kept secret, the idyllic tropical paradise of Sanya, including its white sandy beaches, visa-free entry for nearly 60 countries, and free trade zone as they race around the planet on the resort’s team entry in the biggest round the world yacht race.

When the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race gets underway from the UK this summer, the Sanya Ambassadors will spend eleven months being pushed to their physical limits, racing through some of the most inhospitable conditions on the planet. At times, the nearest human life to the crews will be those in the International Space Station. In the previous edition of the Clipper Race, the teams faced phenomenal sea states with waves over 14m tall, hurricane force winds and temperatures below freezing.

QUOTE – Sanya Senior Official 

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Regarded as one of the toughest challenges on the planet, the Clipper Race is the only event which trains everyday people to make six ocean crossings, covering six continents, testing them to their absolute limit. Fewer people have sailed around the world than climbed Mount Everest, and with 40 percent of crew having no previous sailing experience before signing up, the achievement is all the more incredible.

Laying on the southern tip of Hainan Island, the upscale tropical paradise of Sanya will be the first of three Chinese Host Ports on the Clipper 2019-20 Race route. Boasting over 250km of picture-perfect sandy beaches lined with coconut palms, pristine waters and a balmy climate with 300 days of sunshine per year, China’s idyllic holiday destination lives up to its reputation as the ‘Hawaii of China’.

QUOTE – Sanya Ambassador 

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One of the Sanya Ambassadors, MingHao Zhang, will become the first Sanya representative to complete the entire circumnavigation when he completes Leg 2 in the 2019-20 edition, after previously completing seven of eight Legs as a media crew member in the Clipper 2017-18 Race.

Over 50 percent of the selected crew are female; the ten women and nine men, ranging in age from 23 to 51, will travel to Clipper Race HQ in Portsmouth, UK, next month to embark on an intensive four levels of mandatory Clipper Race training. Compulsory for everyone taking part in the Clipper Race, the training will ensure the Sanya Ambassador crew members are safe on board and ready for what Mother Nature has in store when they join their international high-performance team.

Sanya Ambassadors for the Clipper 2019-20 Race

钱雪瑶 Xueyao Qian ‘Lisa’, 33, Project Manager
高睿 Scott Draper, 32, Bilingual Event Host
叶昀 Yun Ye ‘Irene’, 47, Manager
白伟 Wei Bai ‘Ivy’, 49, Vice Dean International Leadership Institute and Business Administration
孙婧 Jing Sun, ‘Sunny’, 23, Journalist
许郁 Xu Yu, ‘Sophia’, 49, Restaurant Owner
王茸 Rong Wang, ‘Rong’, Consultant
吕旸 Yang Lyu, ‘Yang’, 51, Engineer
关炯 Jiong Guan, ‘Jiong’, 47, Management
冯嘉盛 Feng Liasheng, ‘Sam’, 27, Snowboard Instructor
朱强 Qiang Zhu, ‘John’, 46, Translator
梁丹 Liang Dan, ‘Peony’, 37, Head of Finance
王旺桂 Wang Wanggui, ‘Taylor’, 48, CEO
徐盛达 Shengda Xu, ‘Bob’, 27, Student
黄丽娟Lijuan Huang, ‘Sue’, 34, Graphic Designer
明浩 Zhang Minghao ‘Ming’, 37, TV Producer
Xi Guan, ‘Guan’, 31, Film Director (Media Crew)
李蒙 Meng Li, ‘Limeng’, 32, GM Assistant (Reserve)
刘嘉鹏 Jiapeng Liu, ‘Phoebe’, 34, Brand Promotion Manager (Reserve)