Right partners keep pathways open

by Isabella Bertold
In 2019, I walked away from sailing.

After 17 years on the Canadian national team, I couldn’t see a future for myself in the sport I loved. So I pivoted to pro cycling, where sponsors were starting to take women seriously. Then something shifted.

SailGP created its Women’s Pathway. The first Women’s America’s Cup was announced, 173 years after the original event. Suddenly, there were places for women to race at the highest level.

That’s when I came back. I became strategist for the Canadian SailGP Team and led Canada’s entry in the Women’s America’s Cup.

What I’ve seen since returning is this: Pathways mean little without the right partners to keep them open.

Because not all sponsors are created equal. The ones who drive women’s sport forward are the ones whose success grows alongside ours.

If we can make sailing, the world’s most exclusive sport, truly inclusive, it sets a blueprint for every sport working to close the gap. – Full report