Setting a new standard of inclusivity

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
When World Sailing announced in January 2025 the launch of the first World Sailing Inclusion Championships, I was confused. Aside from not having a host for the 2025 event, there was little mention of eligibility. What did inclusion mean?

World Sailing had previously organized the Para World Sailing Championships, though that is no longer on their calendar. Is this the new and improved?

According to World Sailing, the 2025 event is to celebrate the “diverse community of sailors with disabilities, removing barriers to participation, all whilst enabling Para classified athletes to compete alongside other athletes with disabilities that do not classify under the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Classification code.”

After some back and forth with the World Sailing, I seemed eligible with my arthritic fingers and perennial turf toe. But from those early days, the event found a home in Oman on December 4-8, and have better defined (sort of) who can participate.

For teams wishing to compete for awards in the ‘Inclusive’ category of the two-person keelboat class, a self-declaration of a minimum disability, condition, or illness that affects daily life must apply to at least one of the two athletes entered. There are other standards too.

The World Sailing Inclusion Championships does have a lot of divisions, with racing in one-person Hansa 303s and two-person RS Venture Connects, plus ILCA 6s for intellectually-impaired athletes, and FarEast 28Rs for visually-impaired athletes.

World Sailing remains on a mission to get the sport back into the Paralympic Games, and have beefed up their governance to improve their pitch to the IPC. They have also partnered with the America’s Cup “to strengthen the global development of Para Inclusive Sailing and accelerate key initiatives ….”

The World Sailing Inclusion Championships is part of this plan, and a total of 154 athletes representing 37 nations have registered, bringing together sailors with a wide range of disabilities. I hope it all works, as highlighting the sport in this manner should be a good thing, as is giving disabled people the opportunity to enjoy it. Game on!

Details: https://www.sailing.org/world-sailing-inclusion-championships/