World Sailing President addresses Council

Lausanne, Switzerland (May 7, 2016) – World Sailing President, Carlo Croce, addressed the World Sailing Council at the 2016 Mid-Year Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The President’s address in full:

Your Majesty, Dear Executive Committee and Council Members, and Dear friends …

It is great to be here with you in Lausanne and, with three months to go until the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is a timely opportunity to update you on the progress we are making in World Sailing.

There are a number of important priorities that I have focused on since we last met.

I want to start by saying that I am delighted that our new CEO – Andy Hunt – is here with us today and I’m pleased to say that Andy and I are working extremely well together. It has been a long journey to find the right person to fill this crucial position – but with Andy the wait has certainly been worthwhile. There is a real sense of momentum as a result of his appointment and his positive actions. Andy is a great asset to our organisation and our sport.

One of the areas that Andy and I have worked on together is to develop proposals to further improve the governance of World Sailing. As you know we will discuss this in detail this weekend.

There are a number of important reasons why this matters.

I can’t remember a time when the international media and public spotlight has been so concentrated on world sport and the way it is run and governed. At the same time, the IOC and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations are both clear that change and progress are needed in this area. And they are right.

So, part of my job as your President, is to ensure that World Sailing not just meets new governance standards, but exceeds them.

Our goal is to become a benchmark for International Federations.

The MNAs, Council Members and Committee Chairs have all been consulted on the proposals and our EGM will vote on them on Sunday.

I am convinced that if these measures are passed, they will enable World Sailing to become more professional, efficient, effective and better able to drive the global growth of Sailing in all its forms.

And we are making good progress in other important areas – including planning around a new Sailing World Cup strategy and ensuring Para Sailing returns to the Paralympic Games in 2024.

We have also made good progress over the last few years building up the Emerging Nations Program and more than doubling our investment – which has been made possible due to our sponsors.

And as we look to the future, I am confident that we can grow our commercial resources and provide even greater support to all our MNAs.

And as we sit and talk here in Lausanne I want to update and discuss with you these and other important areas of our work together.

But before I do, let me say this.

I am coming to the end of my first term as World Sailing President and much has been achieved in this time – but I do have a sense of ‘unfinished business’.

I believe that in the years ahead we have both new challenges and new opportunities and there is much more to do to ensure that Sailing continues to grow and prosper around the world.

This is why I can confirm today my intention to stand for a second, and final, term as World Sailing President.

I am motivated to do this for a number of reasons, and they are based on 3 main priorities:

– Better Governance
– Olympic and Paralympic development
– and the Sailing World Cup.

I want to ensure that the challenges that lie ahead in each of these areas are sailed safely and that the many significant opportunities to grow our sport, at every level, are secured.

On governance, it is important to remember that the proposals that the World Sailing EGM will vote on are just the start of a longer term modernization process that we need.

The vote this weekend is not the end of the journey – it is the start of a new one that, if we get right, will lead to a more professional and dynamic World Sailing organization … more capable of meeting your needs.

On Olympic matters, we all need to be mindful of the IOC’s Agenda 2020 strategy and its appetite to introduce more modern, youthful sports and events to the Games.

We are likely to see five new events at the 2020 Tokyo Games including some of the newer ‘activity’ sports.

So – we are in a changing Olympic world and we need to be able to react to this.

Yes, Sailing has very strong Olympic traditions and we are blessed as one of the Olympic sports that can create incredible backdrops for broadcasters and viewers.

This puts us in a strong position to protect our Olympic status, and be very positive as we look to the future.

Working together – and in full consultation – we need to be creative in this new Olympic era, be willing to move with the times and embrace change and innovation. And it is this mindset that will underpin my second term if I am re-elected your President.

On Para Sailing, let me be very clear.

I want to see the sport reinstated into the 2024 Paralympic Games. Andy and I recently had a very good meeting with the International Paralympic Committee CEO where we outlined proposals to ensure the growth of Para Sailing.

We also stressed our commitment to see the sport return to the Paralympic Games and work with the IPC to ensure this happens for 2024.

This goal will be a key focus for me in my second term and I am very confident it can be delivered.

And finally, the issue of the Sailing World Cup.

For me, getting this right and in place is a top priority.

Together, we have been developing a strategy that will create a new flagship product in order to meet the many needs and views of our diverse Sailing family. For this we must find the right balance.

This is a big opportunity which has a real potential to boost our global profile, increase participation in Sailing and bring new fans to our sport.

This should be done in partnership with sponsors and broadcasters.

We must also be open to the ideas of new host cities.

And we will also need to take a look at other opportunities including Offshore Sailing – which is an important area of our sport and one of great potential.

If we do this correctly – and build the right consensus – it would be a benefit to all of us.

So – as I look ahead I am encouraged and optimistic as we aim to protect and grow our sport and enter a new era with confidence and a willingness to be creative and develop.

And it is this vision of growth, modernisation and innovation, while respecting our sport’s great traditions that I believe I can deliver if I am honoured to serve as World Sailing President for a final term.

In closing, I would like to thank my fellow Executive Members for their tremendous work.

Thank you all for your interest and for your support.