search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
Above: Malaysian racer Natasha Nabila Sawal is one of many youngsters who were thrilled to take part in ISAF’s original Emerging Nations Programme; though this programme continued when ISAF became World Sailing the renamed governing body burned through both its income and once substantial cash reserves so rapidly that an inspiring sporting initiative was soon dramatically cut back. Right: so much style, so little money… left. ‘The Living Wall’ is just one of the many vanities exciting features that decorate the part empty London offices of World Sailing. In 2017 under new president Kim Andersen World Sailing signed a new 10-year lease on the ‘marquee premises’ at an annual starting rent of £500,000 – some four times the rent that ISAF was paying in its previous premises overlooking Southampton Water. It was, however, felt the new offices were ‘more representative [of a world governing body], better for attracting the right staff, and well placed for visitors’. And, as we later discovered, for the London theatre (sic). World Sailing only survives at the gift of the IOC. Other ‘more representative’ cities seriously considered were Lausanne and Monaco (we sh*t you not)


SH: Could you highlight other new things you will do if you are elected president? GS: Much more rigorous financial man- agement! I will fight for transparency, we must be absolutely transparent with our MNAs and with the sailors. Our accounts must be truthful and punctual, it cannot happen that in July the financial balance for 2019 or the real budgets for the period 2020-21 have not yet been published. Everything we do must be aimed at


sailors, especially including the emerging countries, women and disabled sailing. We can contribute little in the way of added value for countries like the USA, Australia, Germany, England or Canada – their financing and organisation are already very strong. We must focus our efforts on emerging countries that have fewer resources and less experience, and that is where we have the potential to grow our sport. Sailing will not grow much more in powerful countries, but it can grow a lot in smaller countries if we help them properly. Another example of wastefulness is the


World Series regattas. We cannot lose money organising unsuccessful regattas when there are already plenty of successful competitions. A regatta of this type is at least twice as expensive organised by World Sail- ing than if it is organised by an experienced club with the support of its national body. We have to go back to the roots of our


sport made up of sailors, clubs and classes. The vitality of the clubs and their volunteers is the key factor organising regattas. We are not FIFA, F1 or the NBA, we can’t pretend to organise competitions like the football Champions League because we don’t have their millions. We have to be a federation of services, provide basic frameworks, judges, referees and so on, to support the big events organised by clubs or MNAs. If our annual budget were €100 million


the economic strategy would be different. World Sailing always had a generous Isle of Man trust account for its reserves but that too has now been spent. Now we are


52 SEAHORSE


wholly indebted to the IOC. It was a great act of irresponsibility by the current board and the new president will start his term with World Sailing deeply into the red. SH: Some 60 per cent of World Sailing’s revenue comes from the Games, what will happen if Tokyo 2021 is cancelled? GS: Well, in principle we’d receive zero from the IOC. We had insurance covering the cancellation of the Games in 2020, but it expired on 1 August and it wasn’t renewed… We do not have insurance if these Games are cancelled altogether. In that situation we would have to move fast to find money. There are companies and entrepreneurs who spend a lot in our sport and my plan is to contact them to find sponsorships and even donations. But the situation would be very serious. But, regardless of this, it is essential to


stop spending money that has not yet been collected, as has happened, thinking about possible sponsorship that later did not arrive. This is not responsible. It is also not responsible paying an annual salary of £250,000 to a CEO. You have to tighten your belt and completely review the entire financial management of World Sailing. Another of my major economic objec-


tives is to reduce the wide financial gulf in the sport between the emerging sailing nations and the developed countries, both in Olympic sport and in beginner sailing. SH: A few months ago you told Seahorse that you would oppose a keelboat for Paris 2024 in an attempt to retain the Finn. Are you still thinking the same way? GS: No. I now think that more attention needs to be paid to the keel boat, because it is important that there is a ladder between the Optimist and the America’s Cup. I have changed my mind about the keel boat at the Games, I think it must exist, but I do not completely agree with the format currently proposed for Marseille. I want to know the background for


myself, so in September I will compete in the four-person L30 European Champi-


onship in Marseille. But we must change the format devised for the offshore event, because among other ‘inconveniences’ millions of Muslims will have problems. The Koran does not allow two unmarried people to spend two nights without com- pany. It is an important issue, but we must also study the high cost of the boat and the preparation in more detail as this can obvi- ously be a problem for emerging countries. The final decision will be made at the


IOC, when the serious possibility of a drop from 10 to nine events in Marseille would handicap the keelboat if we don’t come up with an intelligent solution for ourselves. SH: Tell us something we haven’t heard! GS: It’s not easy, but I’ll try (laughing). You have to think of sailing as a leisure citizen activity, beyond competition. There are many people who sail without compet- ing, and if we encourage that the number of sailors will increase generating a larger base from which new competitors will emerge. How many people who enjoy kitesurfing or windsurfing ever compete? It is a great example we should learn from. Other new things are that I would like


to create a council of advisers, people who really know sailing but also have experi- ence in another professional capacity, because we can learn a lot from these people. We must also re-imagine the future more seriously, with a strategy committee, think about what sailing will be like in 15 years and be vigilant to that. And I want to create a new Ethics Com-


mittee with totally independent people without any connection with national or regional federations, who report directly to the annual meeting. I want them to con- trol whether we comply with the manage- ment agreements and financial budgets. It is essential to generate confidence. In


the past few months I have personally spoken to 70 MNAs, and most of them have told me that they do not trust the current World Sailing president or the current World Sailing board…


q


CHRISTOPHE LAUNAY/ALAMY


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