RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced a three-year partnership with the Extreme Sailing Series™ , a world-class, professional Global Circuit that puts fans at the heart of the action through their "stadium racing" format. As the "Official Technical Partner" of the series, SAP plans to deliver cutting-edge business software and analytics solutions to provide sailors, spectators and the media with an unprecedented sailing experience.

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For the first time in the six-year history of Extreme Sailing Series, analytics solutions from SAP can offer fans and broadcasters insights to enable them to decipher exactly what is happening on the water through the use of live leaderboards and 3-D visualizations taking place in real time. Post-race data will also provide teams with tools to analyze their performance and optimize their strategy helping them sail better.

"Having SAP on board as our Official Technical Partner is a great step for the Extreme Sailing Series," said Mark Turner, executive chairman of Organisers OC Sport. "This partnership will enable us to take the event to the next level of innovation, interaction and participation. The work SAP is doing in the world of sailing is exciting for the sport and we are thrilled to be working with them to develop this relationship further. The initial enhancements will already be visible in the next Act in Rio, but will continue to be developed step-by-step over the three-year partnership."

SAP also plans to enhance the management and operational side of the Extreme Sailing Series through the development of a "Race Committee" app. This live application can enable the Extreme Sailing Series Race Management Team to co-ordinate race starts, communicate penalties and record accurate race results — making the job of executing and operating races quicker and easier than ever before. This solution is particularly important considering the demanding rhythm created by the 8 x 15 minute race a day format.

"The Extreme Sailing Series is a great example of how great technology and teamwork enable high performance and excitement. SAP is honored to deliver innovations that will improve the performance of the teams and create great experiences for the customers – the fans," said Jim Hagemann Snabe, co-CEO, SAP. "Our real-time analytics combined with mobile and cloud makes the on-water battles more accessible, vivid and thrilling for a global audience."

Solutions from SAP have been developed and tailored for over 12 years of successful sailing partnerships. Through longstanding relationships with Audi Sailing Team Germany, Kieler Woche and the SAP 5O5 World Championship, SAP has provided performance-enhancing tools to some of the world's best sailors and fans.

Extreme Series Comes to Rio

The final Act of the 2012 global tour will begin December 6 as the Extreme Sailing Series makes its South American debut in the iconic city of Rio de Janeiro. Nine Extreme 40 Catamarans will be heading into the final battle. This season, 179 races have been sailed, and the Series winner will be decided in 32 action-packed races over four days of competition.

Rio de Janeiro is a new location for the Extreme Sailing Series. The guest team, "Team Brazil," and the eight established Extreme 40 teams will compete in the bay surrounded by the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain and statue of Christ the Redeemer. Four of the eight teams are capable of lifting the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series overall trophy – two Omani, one French and one Austrian. None wants to go home empty handed and, with 15 points up for grabs in the final Act, the podium is wide open for an exciting finish to the series.

To follow all the action featuring analytics and 3-D visualization from SAP, visit http://ess40-2012.sapsailing.com from December 7–9, 2012. For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom.

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 197,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

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