World Sailing has appointed David Graham, a 20-year veteran in the sailing industry, as its new Chief Executive Officer starting 13 July 2020.
Graham’s extensive and impressive career includes functions in sales, events, coaching and sponsorship, including CEO and Managing Director roles.
Graham’s most recent role was at Oman Sail, a national initiative that uses the power of sport to contribute to the development of the Omani people, where he served as CEO from 2009 through to April 2020.
During his tenure, Graham was instrumental in establishing the sport in Oman, growing the national sailing team to one of the leading teams in Asia and developing the nation as a top destination for Class World Championships, America’s Cup World Series and Extreme Sailing Series events. Prior to his tenure at Oman Sail, Graham managed a sailing school before spending over a decade in senior positions in the world’s leading dinghy manufacturers.
His experience as an active sailor is equally as strong. An active sailor his whole life, he grew up as a dinghy sailor and was involved in major big boat series and races onboard both monohulls and multihulls. In addition he has recently taking up kiteboarding to add to his repertoire of sailing skillsets.
David Graham World Sailing Chief Executive Officer
Kim Andersen, President of World Sailing, commented, “As World Sailing looks to the future and the next phase of growth, we are confident that with David’s combined background in management and sailing that he is the right leader to help restructure and provide a strong direction for the operations of our organization. On behalf of the entire World Sailing family it gives me great pleasure to welcome David to the team.”
World Sailing’s Board of Directors worked with Odgers Berndtson in search of the ideal candidate and reviewed a strong list of international candidates.
Scott Perry, World Sailing Vice President, added, “The board received several high calibre applicants and having reviewed each one carefully we unanimously approved the selection of David Graham. With better clarity over our finances through to 2021, now is the time to build up our future and this includes bringing in a CEO to guide the day to day operations and future negotiations of our organisation.”
On his appointment, Graham commented, “I am really looking forward to my new role with World Sailing. I would like to thank President Kim Andersen and the board for their confidence; I look forward to working with them to develop World Sailing and building a strong organization together.”
Following the success of the first two eSailing World Championship seasons, World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, and Virtual Regatta, the leading digital sailing platform, have extended and expanded their relationship through to 2028.
The announcement was made today at World Sailing’s 2019 Annual Conference in Bermuda, following the 2019 eSailing World Championship Final that saw Velista71 claim the title on Tuesday 29 October. Click here for more on the final.
The agreement will see an expansion of the scope of works between World Sailing and Virtual Regatta with a focus on both the Inshore and Offshore platforms, an evolution on the previous agreement that only covered the Inshore platform.
Throughout 2019, the number of eSailors globally across both platforms has grown to 1.4 million unique players and continues to grow.
World Sailing and Virtual Regatta will continue to work to deliver the eSailing World Championship on an annual basis and promote the Virtual Racing Rules of Sailing, an evolution of the real-life Racing Rules of Sailing that governs all eSailing Games and events. In addition, an official ranking system for eSailing will be created, and World Sailing and Virtual Regatta will work collaboratively to widen the audience for both real and virtual sailing to young participants in new nations and regions.
In 2019, National eSailing World Championships were held in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, The Netherlands and Switzerland, and the eSailGP was launched at the final event of the inaugural SailGP season in Marseille, France. Alongside expanding the total number of National Championships and engagement with World Sailing Special Events, areas of further collaboration, such as an offshore eSailing World Championship, will be explored.
Scott Over, Commercial Director at World Sailing, commented, “The partnership between World Sailing and Virtual Regatta for the eSailing World Championship has enabled both parties to grow the game worldwide and bring thousands of new sailors and non-sailors into the virtual space.
“The 2019 eSailing World Championship grew on the inaugural season with a high number of players enjoying the thrill and complexities of the sport, and we’re delighted to expand the partnership and scope to feature the Offshore platform.”
Philippe Guigne, Founder and CEO of Virtual Regatta, said, “eSailing is growing fast. The increase in involvement of players, clubs and major sailing events from all around the world for both fun and tactical practice has exceeded our expectations.
“Extending our exclusive agreement up to 2028 with World Sailing will give us the tools the achieve our shared vision and mission – to develop our sport, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.”
An announcement on the format of the 2020 eSailing World Championship will be made in the coming months.
World Sailing Chief Executive Officer, Andy Hunt has notified the Board of Directors that he will be taking on a new role in International Sport in early 2020.
The Board considers that Andy has made an important contribution to the modernisation and commercial development of World Sailing, and the Board thanks Andy for his service during an intense and challenging period for World Sailing.
Andy Hunt commented, ‘‘It has been a privilege to serve the sport of Sailing as CEO, and to work with such a talented team to move the sport forward over the past four years. I wish the sport every success in the future as it continues to grow the global participation and fan base.”
Kim Andersen, World Sailing President, commented, “I would like to thank Andy for his unwavering commitment to the sport over the past few years and I wish Andy every success in his new role.”
World Sailing has numerous ongoing activities in developing sailing worldwide, and the World Sailing Senior Management Team, the Executive Office staff and the Board are committed to continuing the momentum to build the sport.
The Board will commence a search for a successor shortly.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have stamped their authority on the 49er class – again – 12 months out from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Finishing 8th in the double-points medal race today was enough to secure victory for Burling and Tuke. The Kiwis spent the entire medal race matching the Polish team who were the only team that could catch them, disregarding their own finishing position.
Spain’s Diego Botin & Iago Lopez Marra took the race victory with great pace on the last downwind leg, passing Germany’s Justus Schmidt and Max Boehme who lead for the first three legs of the race.
Blair Tuke (L) and Peter Burling (R) celebrate with Coach Hamish Wilcox
Great Britain’s Dylan Fletcher & Stuart Bithell crossed the line in third place which was enough to leapfrog the early regatta leaders Przybytek & Kolodzinski for the silver. The British were much further down the fleet at the first weather mark after being forced to the unfavoured side of the course, and were mathematically out of the medals until the second half of the race. After a clean leeward mark rounding they banked hard on the right-hand side of the course to make multiple critical passes.
The Polish team, who had wrestled for the lead for much of the regatta, had to settle for third overall. Their medal race was compromised from the start when then they had to return after being over early and never recovered. Having to settle for a ninth-place finish in the medal race and a Bronze medal, the Przybytek & Kolodzinski are aware that they had greater opportunities over the course of the regatta.
Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell (GBR) celebrate their silver medal at Ready Steady Tokyo
Getting bounced out of the medals into a close fourth place were Ben Bildstein and David Hussl (AUT). Rounding the first windward mark in the leading group, their decision to perform a gybeset rounding turned out to be the wrong one, shuffling them back in the pack.
With a gold medal in Rio 2016 and a silver in London 2012, four 49er World Championships and an America’s Cup victory thrown in for good measure, the New Zealand duo of Burling and Tuke already have a results sheets to retire on. With an 11 point victory at the Tokyo 2020 test event this week, they are without a shadow of a doubt the form boat heading into the final stretch of this Olympic cycle. If they can win the next Olympic Games and defend the America’s Cup, they will fall into legend category before their thirtieth birthdays.
After a break from the class to win the America’s Cup in 2017 and complete the Volvo Ocean Race in 2018, Burling & Tuke stepped back into the class in early 2019, going on to win the Open European Championship at Weymouth in May. Great Britain’s Fletcher and Bithell are also hitting their stride at the perfect time. Juggling a 49er Olympic campaign and the British SailGP program, they won the European Championship and the Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Palma.
The Ready Steady Tokyo teams will now be joined by the extensive 49er fleet for the Sailing World Cup, which begins on Sunday. This will be the last major hit out on the Olympic waters before the games in August 2020. Next up on the calendar is the 2019 World Championships to be sailed in Auckland, New Zealand. With Olympic qualification spots up for grabs and teams looking to secure their countries nomination for Tokyo 2020, the summer down under will be one to watch.
World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, has renewed the Special Event status of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) through to 2028.
The announcement comes after the conclusion of the 2018-19 World Match Racing Tour Championship Final last weekend in Marstrand, Sweden which saw Phil Robertson (NZL) crowned Match Racing World Champion for the second time.
The Special Event Agreement, signed with EFB Group, who took over ownership of the WMRT in December 2018, will see World Sailing work actively together with WMRT to promote the global tour which awards the World Sailing Match Racing World Championship each year.
Founded in 2000, the WMRT promotes match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in sailing. The WMRT represents a series of independently organised and officially sanctioned and graded match racing events. Teams accumulate points from each of the events towards an overall WMRT global ranking. The top 12 ranked skippers compete in the WMRT Championship Finals at the end of the season to award the official World Sailing Match Racing World Championship. Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over $20million USD in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors.
Over the next ten-years, World Sailing will work with WMRT collaboratively to promote the growth of match racing and the world tour through various owned media channels, including social media and digital platforms, as well as extending the reach of the tour through traditional media.
The WMRT events will continue to be managed under World Sailing’s Racing Rules of Sailing and Regulations with World Sailing International Umpires appointed at each event.
Word Sailing and the WMRT are committed to the long term development of Match Racing and will work in partnership to develop a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the pathways, universality, women’s participation and promotion of the top match racers around the world.
World Sailing’s Sustainability Agenda 2030 sets out the sports ambitious plans to make a contribution to global sustainability and the WMRT have committed to working towards aligning the world tour and its events with the key principles. Within the World Sailing and WMRT Special Events agreement, the WMRT have signed up to World Sailing’s Special Event Sustainability Charter.
The World Match Racing Tour continues its Special Event status as one of five sanctioned World Sailing Special Events which currently include SailGP, PWA World Tour, Star Sailors League and the Global Kitesports Associations freestyle world tours.
The Hague, The Netherlands will become a city of sails in 2021 and 2022 with the 2021 Youth Sailing World Championships heading to the city, one year ahead of the Sailing World Championships.
World Sailing, the Royal Netherlands Watersport Association, the municipality of The Hague and TIG Sports gathered today (Friday 21 June 2019) at the Dutch National Sailing Centre in The Hague to announce the awarding of the Youth Worlds and to sign The Hague 2022 contract.
The Sailing World Championships, held every four-years and the primary Olympic qualification event, and the Youth Worlds, held every year since 1971, will allow The Hague to activate two of World Sailing’s flagship events back-to-back.
Alongside today’s announcements, Dorian van Rijsselberghe, Olympic gold medallist in windsurfing at London 2012 and Rio 2016, will become the Tournament Director for both events. Internationally renowned and highly respected by his fellow competitors, van Rijsselberghe will work closely with all parties to ensure the athletes’ are at the heart of the event.
The Youth Worlds will be held in July 2021 and will allow the Organising Committee to activate and engage the city with sailors on the Olympic pathway. Just one year later in August 2022, The Hague will come alive with the sights and sounds of sails once again with Olympic class racing at the Sailing World Championships. More than 1,000 sailors, racing in over 900 boats from 80 nations will descend upon the city, aiming to book their spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Hague is the third largest city in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, with a population of 525,000. The authentic yet modern seaport, and the natural environment of The Hague Beach, will offer the perfect base for the 2021 Youth Worlds and the 2022 Sailing World Championships.
Competition for the world’s best Olympic class sailors will be held on the North Sea and will provide a stern test for the athletes. Conditions vary within a short period of time ensuring competitors will encounter a true test on the water with varied wind conditions and challenging tidal patterns.
Kim Andersen, President of World Sailing, commented, “We are delighted to be working with the Royal Netherlands Watersport Association, the municipality of The Hague and TIG Sports to deliver two of World Sailing’s iconic and historic events.
“The hosting of the 2021 Youth Worlds in The Hague will be the first touch point for the Dutch population, fans of the sport and the media to experience Olympic style racing. The event will also provide the organisers with opportunities to further test competition management, operations and on-site experience ahead of the 2022 World Championships.
“The Hague has an ambitious vision for the Sailing World Championships with the sailors, spectator experience and world-class organisation at the heart of their plans.
“Their bids for both the Youth Worlds and 2022 Sailing World Championships were outstanding. Add this to an experienced organising committee and established partners, who are all committed to raising the bar on previous Sailing World Championships, then the framework for success is there.”
Deputy Mayor of The Hague, Richard de Mos, commented, “At this moment we’re still in the middle of another big sailing event – Sail at Scheveningen – and we are happy to bring another great sporting event to the sailing capital of North-West Europe.
“We have proven ourselves with events such as Sail at Scheveningen, The Ocean Race and the unique Sailing Innovation Centre in Scheveningen. I myself am not a sailor, but I am very excited about what is going to happen in the Hague; the city by the sea.”
Arno van Gerven, Managing Director of Royal Netherlands Watersport Association, said, “It is a unique opportunity for our talented sailors to compete in a Youth Sailing World Championships on the same waters as our top athletes will do a year later.
The Hague city of sails in 2021 and 2022
“The awarding of the Youth Worlds is a big compliment and a reward of our collaboration with The Hague, which is also home to our training facilities. All the hard work that happens behind the scenes on a daily basis – training hard, studying, health programmes – can now be demonstrated to the entire country, on home soil and familiar terrain. Of course we will make it a unique experience for the athletes. Sailing at a Youth World Championships is a once in a lifetime experience. We’re going to make a big party out of it.”
In addition to the great opportunities it offers the athletes, Van Gerven also sees added value in the combination of the 2021 Youth Sailing World Championships and the 2022 Sailing World Championships. “The combination increases the value of the World Championships. Sailors, spectators, partners, our clubs and officials can not only see the best Olympic class sailors for two weeks, but also see the next generation at work. This gives the events even more significance for our sport and for our clubs.”
Tournament director, Dorian van Rijsselberghe added, “The Hague, The Royal Netherlands Watersport Association and TIG Sports showed last year with the finish of the Ocean Race in The Hague that they can organize a wonderful international sailing event in the Netherlands. That’s why I am very honoured that they asked me to be the Tournament Director of both World Championships.
“I hope to be able to contribute a little to the success of the event and the connection with the athletes. I’m sure this will be no problem in The Hague. The National Top Sailing Centre is the place where our talents work day in day out to be among the best in the world.”
After a hard earned Men’s RS:X Medal Race win, Mattia Camboni (ITA) moved from fourth up first to claim the Hempel World Cup Series title as six fleets concluded racing in Marseille, France.
Camboni won the first gold medal of the day in the Men’s RS:X and was swiftly followed by Dutch racer, Lilian de Geus in the Women’s RS:X. Having led for most of the week, Italy’s Vittorio Bissaro and Maelle Frascari sealed the deal in the Nacra 17 and the 49er and 49erFX titles went to the way of Federico and Arturo Alonso (ESP) and Julie Bossard and Aude Compan (FRA). Nicolas Parlier (FRA) won the Open Kiteboarding Medal Race and with it, gold.
Today’s champions claim the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series titles and a further five will be crowned after Sunday’s Medal Races.
After strong wind conditions all week long, the final day played out in a variable 8-10 knot north westerly breeze.
Camboni led the Men’s RS:X fleet over the first three days of the event but on Friday, after an up and down day, he dropped to fourth. Gold was still within his reach though as just seven points separated the top five who all had a shot. Piotr Myszka led on 26 points followed by Daniele Benedetti (ITA) on 27, Pierre Le Coq (FRA) on 29, Camboni on 32 and Louis Giard (FRA) on 33.
Myszka started the race in gold medal position and got off to the best start. The fleet headed to the right side of the track and Spain’s Angel Granda-Roque (ESP) was able to advance. Camboni stuck closely to the Spaniard and found the right layline on the race track to push ahead and grab the lead as Myszka started to struggle.
Camboni clinched the lead on the final downwind and claimed the win, punching the air with celebratory relief as he knew he would win a medal.
The colour was to be decided as the points were tight and Camboni watched the fleet sail through. Giard followed in third with Benedetti coming through in fifth, Myszka in seventh and le Coq in ninth.
This handed Camboni the gold medal with his compatriot Benedetti picking up silver. Giard completed the podium on 39 points as Myszka missed out on a medal entirely by a single point.
“This means a lot,” expressed Camboni. “Last year I missed out on a medal and it’s so good to be at the top, especially at the final of the World Cup.
“I didn’t have a good start but I said okay, now I have to give everything. I knew I could do it. I really like these conditions and I just did the easy things right – good laylines and pumped a lot. I just believed and knew I could do it. I had some luck but I had a really good week and was hoping for a medal.”
The Hempel World Cup Series Final also acted as a qualification event for the Italian RS:X team for READY STEADY TOKYO – Sailing, the Olympic test event. Camboni’s victory will go a long way in him taking the single Italian spot but he is happy to share his success with a compatriot, “It’s nice to be at the top with Daniele. It will be a big fight to get to the Olympic Games and the one who will go with have a good chance at a medal.”
Lilian de Geus (NED) had a comfortable advantage heading into the Women’s RS:X Medal Race. She stayed out of trouble in a light wind final race, finishing third which confirmed gold.
“It feels really good, I’m really happy,” said de Geus. “Last year I just missed the gold after the Medal Race and now I’ve managed to do it. I was feeling good in Marseille this week. I was consistent and that was the key for me.”
Saskia Sills (GBR) clinched silver the hard way. The British racer looked to stick close to her nearest rival, Flavia Tartaglini (ITA), in the early part of the race but quickly found herself at the back of the fleet.
Tartaglini also struggled at the back of the fleet in eighth place but Stefania Elfutina separated the Italian and British racer. Silver looked like it was going to the Italian sailor but on the final downwind, Sills pushed hard and overtook Elfutina just before the finish which handed her silver. Tartaglini settled for bronze.
Vittorio Bissaro and Maelle Frascari (ITA) had a 16-point cushion over their nearest rivals John Gimson and Anna Burnet (GBR) before the Nacra 17 Medal Race. The Italians covered the British team to ensure there would be no surprises on the water and both teams raced in the middle of the pack.
Meanwhile, at the front of the fleet, Santiago Lange and Cecilia Carranza Saroli (ARG) pushed ahead with Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti (ITA) hot on their heels.
As Bissaro and Frascari kept the British pair in the middle of the pack, Tita and Banti had an opportunity to move up into silver medal position. All they needed to do was push ahead of the Argentineans and win the race. They worked hard but could not quite manage it, settling for second in the race and with it, bronze.
Bissaro and Frascari finished fifth to claim gold and were followed by the British pair who took silver.
“It was a super week for us,” said Bissaro. “We loved the harsh conditions. We’d been waiting for that type of conditions all year. Today was quite different. We had to keep control of John and Anna from Great Britain. We did a super job at the start and kept them behind us and we did that through to the finish.”
As fleet racing concluded on Friday, Spain’s Federico and Arturo Alonso managed to wrap up gold in the 49er as they held an unassailable lead. Sailing with the pressure off in the Medal Race, they clinched a second to confirm their dominance.
There was no change behind them as Benjamin Bildstein and David Hussl (AUT) and Switzerland’s Sebastien Schneither and Lucien Cujean (SUI) completed the podium.
Julie Bossard and Aude Compan claimed the 49erFX gold in style, winning the final race to conclude an exceptional week of racing.
“We’ve worked all winter very hard,” said the pair immediately after racing. “We managed to keep it simple this week so we are happy to see the work of our winter has paid off.”
Poland’s Aleksandra Melzacka and Kinga Loboda were penalised ahead of racing for leaving the pitlane too early but that made no difference as they picked up silver.
There was a close fight for bronze between Austrian and Italian teams. Two points separated Laura Schöfegger and Anna Boustani (AUT) and Carlotta Omari and Matilda Distefano (ITA). In a straight shootout, the Austrians finished second, a place ahead of the Italians to win bronze.
Fleet racing concluded in the remaining fleets ahead of their Medal Races on Sunday 9 June.
Australia’s Mat Belcher and Will Ryan have all but confirmed gold in the Men’s 470. The Australians are 20-points clear of Jordi Xammar and Nicolás Rodriguez (ESP). Only a penalty during Sunday’s Medal Race could see them lose the gold medal and that is also dependent on the Spaniards winning the race.
Mattia Camboni
Xammar and Rodriguez have an 11-point advantage over the third placed Hippolyte Machetti and Sidoine Dantes (FRA). However the French are just three points clear of Sweden’s Anton Dalhlberg and Fredrik Bergström and may be more concerned with defending their podium spot than attacking the Spaniards.
The race for gold in the Women’s 470 will go down to the wire in Sunday’s Medal Race. After two final fleet races, Just one point separate Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) and Camille Lecointre and Aloise Retornaz (FRA) and they have enough points over the rest of the fleet that whoever finishes ahead of the other on Sunday will win gold.
The Finn fleet completed three races on Saturday. Andy Maloney (NZL) maintained his consistency and will take an eight point lead over Josh Junior (NZL) into the Medal Race.
In the Laser, Giovanni Coccoluto (ITA) takes a two point lead into the Medal Race but anyone of the top six can claim gold.
It’s a bit more straight forward in the Laser Radial as Viktorija Andrulyte (LTU) holds a 19-point lead going into the Medal Race. Much like Belcher and Ryan in the Men’s 470, only a scoring penalty can see her lose gold. The race is on for the remaining podium positions as six points separate sailors from second to sixth.
Medal Races are scheduled to start at 12:00 local time on Sunday 9 June.
World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, has partnered with the International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (INAS) to jointly promote and grow sailing for people with intellectual impairments globally.
World Sailing and INAS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will see both organisations work together towards the development and implementation of strategies and sailing programmes for people with intellectual impairments. Furthermore, World Sailing and INAS will work to promote awareness and integration within their member organisations.
World Sailing President, Kim Andersen, said, “Sailing is an inclusive sport that is available for all to compete on a level playing field. It is a sport for all and World Sailing is fully committed to growing the sport across multiple disciplines.
“We are delighted to establish a long-term partnership with INAS and we will work closely with them to ensure a sustainable future for sailors with intellectual impairments.”
INAS President, Marc Truffaut, said, “We are excited to welcome World Sailing into the INAS family, adding another International Federation to our growing list of partners.
“We are committed to growing sailing for athletes with intellectual impairments and know that together, we can offer more high level competition opportunities and make a huge impact around the world.”
World Sailing to grow the sport with International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (INAS)
World Sailing will implement a new intellectual impairment discipline into its future Championships at a World, Regional and National level and as a result, INAS agrees to automatically sanction World Sailing-approved events.
INAS and World Sailing will also work together to deliver clinics and seminars for both coaches and officials each year.
As part of the agreement, World Sailing becomes a member of INAS and will hold a seat on the INAS Sport Council.
World Sailing, the world governing body of the sport, and Rolex, the leading name in prestige watches that includes watches engineered specifically for sailing, are now inviting the public to vote for one male and one female who they think should receive the 2018 Rolex World Sailor of the Year title.
Public voting is open now through to 12:00 UTC on Monday 29 October, one day before the announcement at the World Sailing Awards in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
The 11 nominated sailors personify excellence and represent the best of the best in international sailing over the last 12 months with kiteboarders, offshore racers and Olympic class specialists all shortlisted.
The names vying for the coveted and prestigious 2018 Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards are:
Female
Caterina Banti (ITA) – 2018 Nacra 17 World Champion
Carolijn Brouwer (NED) / Marie Riou (FRA) – Volvo Ocean Race winners
Daniela Moroz (USA) – 2018 Formula Kiteboarding World Champion
Wendy Tuck (AUS) – Clipper Round the World Race winning skipper
Male
Charles Caudrelier (FRA) – Volvo Ocean Race winning skipper
Sime and Mihovil Fantela (CRO) – 2018 49er World Champions
Pavlos Kontides (CYP) – 2018 Laser World Champion
Dorian van Rijsselberghe (NED) – 2018 Men’s RS:X World Champion
Ruggero Tita (ITA) – 2018 Nacra 17 World Champion
The public vote will contribute 30% of the overall vote with World Sailing’s Member National Authorities making up the final 70%.
Each winner will be presented with the unique marble and silver trophy depicting the globe, crowned with five silver spinnakers representing the continents, together with a Rolex timepiece.
The Awards night is the social highlight of the World Sailing Annual Conference and 2018 is
set to be a ground breaking edition with the introduction of the World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award, the Team of the Year and the Boat of the Year.
Alongside Rolex World Sailor of the Year and the new Awards, the Beppe Croce Trophy, President Development Award and eSailing World Championship Trophy will be presented.
The Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards is the most prestigious award of recognition in the dynamic sport of sailing. Since the awards’ inception in 1994, the trophy has proudly accumulated the names of those who have demonstrated unparalleled endurance, performance and accomplishment in sailing.
Beginning with Sir Peter Blake, Sir Robin Knox Johnston and Teresa Zabell (ESP), the inaugural winners, the trophy reads like the definitive who’s who in sailing.
Previous recipients of the Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award include:
2017 Peter Burling (NZL), Marit Bouwmeester (NED)
2016 Santiago Lange (ARG), Hannah Mills & Saskia Clark (GBR).
2015 Peter Burling & Blair Tuke (NZL), Sarah Ayton (GBR)
2014 James Spithill (AUS), Martine Grael & Kahena Kunze (BRA)
2013 Mat Belcher (AUS), Jo Aleh & Polly Powrie (NZL)
2012 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Lijia Xu (CHN)
2011 Iker Martinez & Xabier Fernandez (ESP), Anna Tunnicliffe (USA)
2010 Tom Slingsby (AUS), Blanca Manchon (ESP)
2009 Torben Grael (BRA), Anna Tunnicliffe (USA)
2008 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Alessandra Sensini (ITA)
2007 Ed Baird (USA), Claire Leroy (FRA)
2006 Mike Sanderson (NZL), Paige Railey (USA)
2005 Fernando Echavarri & Anton Paz (ESP), Ellen MacArthur (GBR)
2004 Robert Scheidt (BRA), Sofia Bekatorou & Emilia Tsoulfa (GRE)
2003 Russell Coutts (SUI), Siren Sundby (NOR)
2002 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Sofia Bekatorou & Emilia Tsoulfa (GRE)
2001 Robert Scheidt (BRA), Ellen MacArthur (GBR)
2000 Mark Reynolds & Magnus Liljedahl (USA), Shirley Robertson (GBR)
1999 Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), Margriet Matthijse (NED)
1998 Ben Ainslie (GBR), Carolijn Brouwer (NED)
1997 Pete Goss (GBR), Ruslana Taran & Elena Pakholchik (UKR)
1996 Jochen Schümann (GER), Lai Shan Lee (HKG)
1995 Russell Coutts (NZL), Isabelle Autissier (FRA)
1994 Peter Blake (NZL) & Robin Knox-Johnston (GBR), Theresa Zabell (ESP)
The third Youth Olympic Games, to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, between 6-18 October 2018, will welcome 100 sailors from 44 different nations.
Five sailing events will take place at Club Náutico San Isidro in the Argentine capital, including debuts for two classes – Girl’s and Boy’s Kiteboarding (Twin Tip Racing) and the Mixed Multihull (Nacra 15). Elsewhere, Girl’s and Boy’s Windsurfing (Techno 293+) will return for its third consecutive Games.
The Nacra 15 will race in one fleet, with up to 12 opening series races and one final race.
In the Techno 293+, the first race of the opening series will be a fleet race. Following the first race, either a fleet or slalom single elimination series race will be held. All fleet races will race in one group and each slalom race will be divided into four heats with semi-finals and finals to decide who gets maximum points from that race. The final race will be a fleet race, featuring all the competitors.
The Twin Tip Racing Kiteboarding, however, will include up to 24 qualifying races, with a heats-based system eventually determining which four athletes will progress to the final. The racecourse will also contain several obstacles as an extra challenge for the kiteboarders.
A host of qualification regattas across all five events were held to help dictate which nations would compete at the Youth Olympic Games. Places were awarded to the highest performing nations in the World Championships of each class before a series of continental qualification regattas across six regions took place. Hosts Argentina were automatically awarded a spot in each fleet.
No fewer than eight medal-winning athletes from this year’s Youth Sailing World Championships, held in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA, will be competing in the Youth Olympic Games, including three World Champions.
Nacra 15 sailors Teresa Romairone and Dante Cittadini stormed to gold in Corpus Christi by an astonishing 36 points, dominating the fleet with just one race finish outside the top five throughout the competition. The Argentine duo will be sailing on home waters at Buenos Aires, with Cittadini also selected as his country’s official flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony.
Islay Watson (GBR) is the other 2018 Youth Worlds gold medallist participating at the Youth Olympic Games. In a competitive RS:X Girls fleet, the British windsurfer won three out of her last four races to claim the title by two points. In Buenos Aires she will be racing on the Techno 293+ and will be joined by some tough competitors.
Veerle ten Have (NZL) and Giorgia Speciale (ITA) shared the podium with Watson in Texas and they will both be aiming to claim the Girl’s Windsurfing fleet in Buenos Aires.
17-year-old Ten Have, who took the silver medal at the Youth Worlds, has had a busy few months – she also made an appearance at the Hempel Sailing World Championships in Aarhus, finishing 52nd overall out of 62 sailors.
Speciale, meanwhile, picked up bronze in Corpus Christi, finishing 23 points ahead of fourth-placed Palma Cargo (CRO), who will also race at the Games. The Italian heads to Argentina in good form, with a recent 2018 RS:X Youth European Championship title under her belt.
Her compatriot Nicolo Renna is the sole male RS:X Youth Worlds medal-winner to be making the trip to South America; he won silver in Corpus Christi, 12 points ahead of third place.
World Champion Geronimo Nores won’t be at the Youth Olympic Games but his younger brother Manuel (USA) is part of the Techno 293+ line-up in Buenos Aires. Similarly, the younger sister of Youth Worlds bronze medal-winner Fabien Pianazza, Manon, is amongst the Girl’s Windsurfing pack.
Concluding the 2018 Youth Worlds podium representatives are silver medal-winners Andrea Spagnolli and Giulia Fava (ITA), who will be taking on Romairone and Cittadini in the Nacra 15 fleet.
Elsewhere, some of the brightest young names in Kiteboarding will light up the water as the discipline makes its Youth Olympic Games debut.
The winners of the 2018 Kiteboarding TwinTip: Racing Youth Worlds completely dominated the regatta. Both Deury Corneil (DOM) and Nina Font Castells (ESP) ran riot to claim a winning total of just four points each, and they’ll be eager to recapture that form on the global Olympic stage.
And there were several teenage competitors at this year’s Kiteboarding TwinTip: Racing World Championships in Italy, with many of the Youth Olympic Games representatives tasting success.
Sofia Tomasoni (ITA) won her first senior championship, while the Pump Kite Trophy was won by Poland’s Oliwia Hlobuczek.
Tomasoni qualified for the Youth Olympic Games via the Africa and Europe Qualification tournament in Dakhla, Morocco, in February this year, where Toni Vodisek (SLO) also snatched a place in the Boy’s event after a tight battle with France’s Benoit Gomez.
Elsewhere, Jingle Che (CHN), who became Asia’s first Kiteboarding World Champion in 2017 at the age of 16, finished first in the Asia/Oceania Kiteboarding Qualifier regatta in March this year to seal her spot at the Games.
From the two previous Youth Olympic Games, held in Singapore in 2010 and China in 2014, a host of participants have gone on to compete in the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Several medallists are continuing to perform at the highest level of sailing – six previous Youth Olympic Games medal winners were present at the Hempel Sailing World Championships in Aarhus, including Kieran Holmes-Martin (GBR), Techno 293+ bronze medallist in 2010, and Daphne van der Vaart (NED), Techno 293+ silver medallist in 2010.
Additionally, all 31 sports are also represented by Athlete Role Models, who will provide support in a mentoring capacity throughout the competition. Taking on the task for sailing are Rio 2016 Nacra 17 gold medallists and Argentine nationals Cecilia Carranza Saroli and Santiago Lange; Lange himself is from San Isidro, the very heart of this year’s Games.
Windsurfing racing begins at 12:00 local time (UTC-3) on Sunday 7 October, with the Kiteboarding and Nacra 15 events following suit at the same time on Monday 8 October.
Windsurfing will then finish one day earlier on Friday 12 October, before Kiteboarding and the Nacra 15 wrap up on Saturday 13 October.
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