comes from the Olympic movement. After the Games a part of the surplus is shared between the Olympic committees and the Olympic federations. Every four years our sport receives about $15 million – it is a lot of money but it must be dedicated to Olympic sailing. Also, in many countries national federations receive state aid based on their Olympic results, and for this reason too Olympic sailing takes the biggest piece of the cake. But here in El Balís we will see the
Europe Worlds in a few days with 120 boats. It is a good example of the impor- tance of non-Olympic classes, and espe- cially those that I call ‘ladder classes’, such as Optimist, 420, 49er and so on. They are training classes so that young people can then jump to other major yachts, whether Olympic or not, and then be able to follow steps towards the America’s Cup, profes- sional circuits or offshore sailing. You have to keep this ladder and not interrupt it. And the ladder can also be used to go down nicely when age or personal circum- stances change your sailing possibilities. SH: Could you summarise your proposals to improve World Sailing? GS: They change through the year as we learn but I have three fundamental pillars: l Transparency and good governance Every sailor, international class or national federation has the right to know where the money goes. Currently there is very little information and this feeds the rumours, the rumours create discredit and this discredit reaches the IOC, which every four years reviews which sports shall remain Olympic. lEfficiency both on land and at sea There are currently many areas where there is a lack of efficiency in the management of the sport and of events. There are complaints from local regattas about the exaggerated demands to organise them. Within World Sailing there is a lot of bureaucracy and this discourages possible future managers or members from bringing new ideas. lManagement from the boat park Include sailors in the decisions. I think it takes at least three months from the moment a proposal is made until the decision is made. The decisions have to be bottom up, not from an ivory tower as before. A bad example is the keelboat. The proposal was brought forward only two days before the final WS meeting in November 2018, it had not even been discussed before. An idea can be very good but I think it needs a process that allows sailors to express their opinions. Even now the choice of the offshore boat is not clear or transparent; and because the boats cost a lot of money there are many rumours about different shipyards and possible personal interests. This cannot be. SH: Do you think it is necessary for World Sailing to be in London? GS: This is by tradition, not because it is written down anywhere – the offices can be anywhere in the world. The London
44 SEAHORSE
One hell of a sailor… one hell of a family. José Luis Doreste beat his friend Seeliger to Spain’s Finn slot for the 1976 Olympics where he placed 12th. Thereafter this popular and respected sailor won two Star world titles with Antonio Gorostegui before returning to the Finn and winning the gold medal at the windy 1988 Olympic regatta in Korea. He returned again in 2018 (above) to win the Finn World Masters in El Balís in a 350-boat fleet. Brother Luis is a double gold medallist in the 470 and Flying Dutchman while another brother Manuel is also a former Olympian and won the Soling worlds in 1994…
office is too big and much too expensive and you have to take the headquarters to a different place. I look at other federations that do not have the financial capacity of soccer, athletics, swimming, basketball and so on. The ‘humble ones’ have been gravitating to less expensive places, some are now located in Lausanne, in the ‘House of Sport’, with cheap 200m2
offices
and the IOC headquarters nearby. We could also explore venues that offer us tax advantages, like some of our biggest racing events. We could seek synergies with other federations to share resources like meeting rooms… even perhaps an IT department. SH: The elections are in November 2020, after Tokyo – would you have time to change anything for Marseille 2024? GS: There is one very interesting thing when after the Games the IOC evaluates the performances of the sports. And it will happen that new sports such as climbing and floor dancing will enter the scene, and some sports will be eliminated. The rumour continues to circulate that sailing, with 390 athletes eight years ago, then lowered to 350 in Rio, could be reduced to 320 athletes. There will be changes. They will also decide if the current 10 classes have a balance between universality, phys- ical requirements and accessibility. There may be suggestions by the IOC to adjust and modify the Olympic classes. SH: Is World Sailing democratic? GS:No. As I said earlier the decisions now are taken from the top down. There is no transparency. Nor does the system allow for suitable participation. SH: So would you increase the presence of sailors on WS’s governing bodies, currently composed of the president, vice- presidents, 140 national authorities and the 40-member World Sailing Council! GS: Today active sailors have very little presence, only at the Athlete Commission,
which is basically composed of class repre- sentatives. I would like to make it manda- tory that at least one vice-president is a currently active sailor. The Star Sailors League is a great example
of the wealth of ideas and the commitment of the sailors. We have to incorporate this wealth of initiatives. There may be only a single ‘active’ vice-president, but the ath- letes are of course very focused on compet- ing and it is difficult for them to devote time to sport management. It is not easy to make it compatible. I now have time, but did not when I was sailing more actively. At least in the Council we now have former sailors like Torben Grael. SH:Why do you think the biggest racing circuits are in private hands and not those of the federations? GS: Private initiatives are good because they have money, which federations do not have. A mix of private initiative and the governance of World Sailing is ideal. If it is important World Sailing exerts some control, perhaps to avoid excesses or unac- ceptable risks, I also believe that if a small percentage of the benefit from these events goes to improve sailing it does not neces- sarily need to be through World Sailing. SH:Why do you think you are the ideal candidate! GS: (Laughs) I do not know if I am the ideal candidate!!! But I am at an oppor- tune moment, looking at an important opportunity and with no illusions about the difficulties that must be dealt with. I have had a successful professional career and am fortunate to be in a solvent eco- nomic situation and, above all, I have extensive direct experience in sport man- agement in the Finn, 49er and 29er classes. In addition, I already have a close relation- ship with the IOC as past director of ANOC which represents some 200 coun- tries… Quite a diplomatic adventure! q
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124
