Specialists agree that the sporting level of this competition has risen significantly. The race record was smashed by more than 9 days, with Charlie Dalin winning in 64 days 19 hours 22 minutes, confirming the technological advances in the fleet and the skippers’ mastery. Charlie Dalin fought a neck-and-neck battle with rookie Yoann Richomme, who finished 22 hours 47 minutes behind him.
On the other hand, Sébastien Simon wrote his name into the history of the race with a new 24-hour speed record, covering 615.33nm in the South Atlantic (1,139.6 km). The sailor from Vendée rounded off the podium despite suffering foil damage in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Another noteworthy fact: the lowest retirement rate ever seen in a Vendée Globe (20%), testifying to the better preparation of the sailors and the increased reliability of the fleet thanks to the strengthened qualification system. 80% of the competitors at the start finished their round the world race ranked.
Popular enthusiasm for the Vendée Globe continues to grow: 2.45 million people came to Les Sables d’Olonne for the Vendée Globe. The start village welcomed 1.3 million visitors (+13% compared to 2016, the benchmark edition, 2020 having been marked by the Covid-19 pandemic) and the start 350,000, confirming the public’s enthusiasm for this unique race. The finishes were also great celebrations, bringing together a total of 800,000 enthusiasts to celebrate the skippers, from the winner to the last competitor.
“The success of the Vendée Globe is based on its deep roots in the Vendée, a region that thrills to the beat of the race. This 10th edition of the race, marked by an impressive level of sporting achievement and extraordinary public enthusiasm, fully testifies to this,” says Alain Leboeuf, President of the Vendée Globe and the Vendée department.
With more than 30,000 hospitality guests over 3 weeks, the Vendée Globe 2024 village has once again been a great place for companies to meet. 400 local, national and international organisations took part in the 500 BtoB events organised in the village, taking advantage of this unique platform to exchange ideas, develop their business and strengthen their network.
With audiences growing strongly, the Vendée Globe 2024 has confirmed its global appeal:
- 260,000 media and digital coverage, up 7% on 2020
- Media buying equivalent: 415 million euros (+11%)
- TV
- The Vendée Globe was covered massively by broadcasters around the world, in 190 territories.
- 168 TV broadcasters/digital platforms showed images of the Vendée Globe throughout the race, an increase of 30% compared to 2020.
- 1 out of 3 French people watched images of the start on television, i.e. 22 million people. For the line crossing, the audience share in France rose to 76%!
- A total of 67 broadcasters covered the live start, 47 of them internationally, representing a 63% increase on the record set in 2020.
- The excitement carried through to the finish, with 54 broadcasters of the winner’s finish, 42% more than in 2020.
- Vendée Globe website & application
- 160 million visits registered, 37% more than in 2020 and 480 million pages viewed.
- 18 million unique visitors, again a new record, with a 60% increasecompared to 2020.
- The app, meanwhile, was downloaded almost 580,000 times, 47% more than in 2020.
- Social networks
- There were 9.2 billion impressions on all Social Networks worldwide. Engagement, meanwhile, is 31 million.
- 1.6 million people follow the Vendée Globe accounts, all networks taken together. This represents 570,000 more fans between the beginning of October and the end of the race. That’s +55% compared to 2020.
The Vendée Globe attracts an increasingly diverse audience. The race is followed from an early age, thanks in particular to the Vendée Department’s educational programme, the Vendée Globe Junior, which introduces the youngest children to the world of ocean racing. This year, the number of unique visitors to the dedicated website almost tripled compared to 2020, reaching 1,300,000 unique visitors. In addition, the intergenerational aspect of the event has been strengthened with the introduction of the Adélie mascot, the penguin.
The audience for the race is also becoming increasingly female, and younger, thanks in particular to its presence on TikTok, where over 53% of subscribers are aged under 24. On this platform, 40 million videos were viewed over the period of the race. On Virtual Regatta, the proportion of female players increased by 7 points compared to 2020.
The internationalisation of the Vendée Globe was confirmed with a line-up of 14 skippersfrom all over the world, including a Chinese skipper for the first time. This diversity reflects the growing appeal of the event, which is attracting more and more competitors and enthusiasts from around the world. The international audience of the website has increased by 6 points compared to 2020. It now represents 36% of the total audience. On the social networks, more than half (52%) of the discussions around the Vendée Globe have taken place outside France. On Instagram, 43.5% of the race’s followers are located outside France.
The Vendée Globe 2024 has taken its environmental commitment one step further by implementing concrete and measurable actions. In the village, a strict exhibitors’ charter supported by ADEME has enabled single-use plastic to be banned, thus avoiding the equivalent of 90 million plastic bottles, or 9 Olympic swimming pools! Rigorous waste management, backed up by a ‘green brigade’, resulted in 95% of waste being recycled.
Accessibility to the event has been rethought with sustainable transport solutions, including an increase in TER and TGV services, cycle parks and dedicated car pools.
“The Vendée Globe has always been a race that looks to the future. As sailors push their limits, we have pushed ours in the organisation of the event by fully integrating environmental concerns,'” underlines Alain Leboeuf.
The commitment to preserving the oceans has also taken on a new dimension. The Vendée Globe endowment fund has already supported 3 major projects: the protection of marine biodiversity with Share The Ocean, the study of megafauna with Over The Swell and the development of onboard scientific equipment in partnership with UNESCO. This major project, carried out as part of the Decade of the Oceans, has enabled two-thirds of the skippers to take oceanographic instruments on board to collect valuable data for the international scientific community.
In addition, content partnerships have been forged with Ifremer, the TAAF and Polar Journal. The commitment was extended to the village, with a dedicated space, an XXL exhibition and several discussion forums to raise awareness of environmental issues.
Despite its evolution, the Vendée Globe remains true to its values: an extraordinary human adventure, an absolute sporting challenge and a unique popular event. Emotion is at the heart of the story, with powerful moments shared by millions of enthusiasts of all ages, all backgrounds and all over the world.
Save the date : May 10
The closing ceremony will take place on 10 May in Les Sables d’Olonne. From 18:30 to 20:00, the skippers will parade through the legendary channel one last time in a great nautical ceremony. Then, at 10.30pm, a unique light show, combining 1,000 drones and fireworks, will light up the night in Les Sables to celebrate this 10th edition.
