APRIL FOOL'S DAY: Crowdsourced decisions will take power away from sailors – and give it to the public

Text by Jonno Turner – 1 April Volvo Ocean Race teams will have to crowdsource key navigation decisions from gamers and social media fans, following a groundbreaking rule change for 2017-18 introduced by the race’s new eSports director. The development will see fans given the ability to direct skippers and navigators on crucial routing decisions, based on voting patterns within the Volvo Ocean Race game and app. For the first time in the race’s 44-year history, professional sailors will be required to race and live on board according to the exact instructions given by followers via social media. They will be banned from making any key decisions without running them by the fans first. Fans will have until midday on April 1 to sign up for a pilot programme to be run during the pre-Race period.

UPDATE: Did you fall for this? As some of you guessed, this was a cheeky April Fool's Day prank! Whilst the 2017-18 edition promises to be the most connected and engaging yet, we'll allow our sailors to continue making their own decisions onboard... for now!

Volvo Ocean Race teams will have to crowdsource key navigation decisions from gamers and social media fans, following a groundbreaking rule change for 2017-18 introduced by the race’s new eSports director.

The development will see fans given the ability to direct skippers and navigators on crucial routing decisions, based on voting patterns within the Volvo Ocean Race game and app. Daisy Pallorof, Director of eSports at the Volvo Ocean Race, said: “This is an extremely exciting announcement, set to revolutionise sport as we know it.

“It’s all about putting fans in the driving seat, so to speak. After all, why watch the Volvo Ocean Race, when you can actually dictate it?”

Fans to make key decisions in bold eSports move | Volvo Ocean Race

For the first time in the race’s 44-year history, professional sailors will be required to race and live on board according to the exact instructions given by followers via social media. They will be banned from making any key decisions without running them by the fans first.

Nick Bice, Chief Technical Development Officer and two-time Volvo Ocean Race sailor, commented: “Look, the sailors are gonna be pissed, but this is a no brainer if you ask me.

“The rich pro-gaming ecosystem and advent of cloud-based technology means that eSports is a much more compelling proposition than traditional sport sponsorship, especially for those targeting a millennial–focused marketing approach. But hey, what do I know?

“It’s pretty clear that the fans know more than the actual sailors anyway, so this is just the natural next step.”

Fans will have until midday on April 1 to sign up for a pilot programme to be run during the pre-Race period.