VOR Breaking News: Dutch national TV says Tienpont has won the arbitration; returning to Alicante to

AMSTERDAM – According to the NOS (Dutch national TV) website in the Netherlands, Simeon Tienpont has won the arbitration case that he brought against team sponsor AkzoNobel and will return to Alicante to skipper the yacht when Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race starts tomorrow off Alicante, Spain. Here is a Google translation of the original article posted a few minutes ago:

The Dutch sailor Simeon Tienpont has won the arbitration case he had tried against AkzoNobel. Tienpont wants to return as a skipper to the team that starts at the first stage in the Volvo Ocean Race on Sunday in Alicante. Tienpont was fired by AkzoNobel last week, one day before the first in-port race, due to breach of contract by Tienpon's management company STEAM. The team had chosen Brad Jackson as a new skipper.

The 35-year-old Tienpont went to the Dutch Arbitration Institute and received a favorable decision. He travels to Spain today to discuss his return on the boat with the crew. The first stage of the Volvo Ocean Race starts in Alicante on Sunday.

AkzoNobel has responded briefly to the current state of affairs. "We are evaluating the current situation and working with Simeon Tienpont," said AkzoNobel spokesman Joost Ruempol.

This comes as no surprise to your Ed. given how long the arbitration panel, that started Friday morning, took to reach and announce it's decision (just now, Saturday afternoon CET). Had it been an open and shut case in favor of AkzoNobel, one would have expected a rather faster decision.

What this means for Rome Kirby (USA) who was added to the Akzo crew on Thursday when Brad Jackson was promoted to skipper, well, one can only speculate, which we will not do without some more sourcing.

More later.

Simeon Tienpont (NED) in a file photo, courtesy of Team AkzoNobel.