DUAL Olympic medallist Will Ryan will join fellow Lake Macquarie product Nathan Outteridge in Switzerland's team for the upcoming SailGP round in Australia.
Coal Point's Ryan, who won gold in Tokyo and silver in Rio as part of the men's 470 class, will race in Sydney Harbour this weekend.
The 34-year-old, a Swiss resident, has been signed for the rest of this SailGP season and next.
"Excited to join the SailGP Switzerland team. An awesome circuit, a great team and extra special for the chance to represent my second home of Switzerland," Ryan released on social media.
An official announcement was also made on Tuesday.
"SailGP is the top global racing championship in our sport, and it has been exciting to watch the growth of the team throughout season three," Ryan told SailGP media.
"The Swiss team has a number of great sailors, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity ahead, to work hard with the team and to be challenging for those top spots during the remainder of season three and throughout season four.
"To represent Switzerland is really special after all my years of living in the country, and the growth of the SailGP league offers a very exciting future."
Switzerland sit last on the SailGP standings with 23 points, one behind Spain (24). Australia, skippered by Tom Slingsby, lead the way on 68.
"Will is a very talented sailor and will bring a lot of experience of racing at sailing's highest level," Switzerland's team boss Tanguy Cariou said.
"We look forward to welcoming him to the line-up this weekend and having his support for the future."
Sydney marks the ninth event on the calendar with New Zealand wrapping up proceedings next month (March 18-19). The grand final is scheduled for the US city of San Francisco in May (6-7).
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