Olympic Games: In Hot Pursuit of Progress

Sarah Gosling, chair of the World Sailing Athletes’ Commission, provides this update on the Olympic sailing venue in Brazil for Seahorse magazine…

The Olympic Games is the biggest sporting event on the planet. It’s an event unlike any other in that it’s unique, compelling and evokes raw emotions. Sydney 2000 was the last time an Olympic sailing regatta was held in the heart of a city, benefiting from stunning backdrops and sailing conditions that challenged each and every sailor. The Sydney Games were spectacular.

Sixteen years on and Rio de Janeiro, with Sugarloaf Mountain, Christ the Redeemer and Copacabana Beach, will provide a picture postcard background that is unrivalled. Some tricky wind and tide conditions will also be added into the picture come competition time, which should help make for compulsive viewing… with the perfect end result being that the world’s best all-round sailors take home Olympic gold.

Racing at the 2015 Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta (Olympic Test Event) on August 15-22.

Rio’s water quality has obviously been hotly discussed at World Sailing and on many occasions both the organisation and in turn myself have come in for criticism on the subject… we have also been regularly misquoted. I can take criticism, but not being attributed with comments that are entirely fabricated.

During the Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta 2015, the Olympic Test Event, sailors had no interest in talking about water quality. They were there to compete, focused on the task at hand, and were only really happy to discuss sailing and the competition.

While they are not talking about it, it is part of my responsibility as chair of the World Sailing Athletes’ Commission to ensure that all that can be done to improve the water quality is being done. I would greatly like to see an improved situation for the Rio locals themselves, but my first responsibility is towards the sailors. The Rio city government made a clear promise in their host bid document that they would indeed take comprehensive steps to resolve water quality issues, but the truth is that any improvements that have been seen have been painfully slow in being delivered.

At World Sailing’s executive committee meeting last month I visited Marina da Gloria and Flamengo Beach, two venues that the Rio 2016 Regatta will utilise. The situation is far from perfect, but the progress made since my previous visit in 2013 is staggering.

The anti-sewage ‘belt’ that is being built off the marina is due to be completed shortly, the dredging of Marina da Gloria has begun and when combined these two programmes are expected to deliver dramatic improvements in water quality within 10 days of completion.

Full report… click here.

BREAKING: Federal police are investigating Rio de Janeiro’s state-run water and sewerage utility Cedae for allegations of fraud at its sewage treatment plants around the Guanabara Bay that will feature sailing competitions in the Summer Olympics, officials said. Full report.