The annual conference of World Sailing, the international sailing federation, has today focused on the forum "Commercial Strategy of Sport," with a panel of experts who have highlighted the attractions of the sailing for its promotion, including powerful images, great characters and exciting stories about human effort, perseverance and achievement, but also the great challenges, such as the complexity of television coverage (Photo Laura Carrau)

"In the previous Volvo Ocean Race we had 2,400 guests in the water, a figure that we will multiply by four in the next edition"The CEO of Volvo Ocean Race, Mark Turner, has pointed out. For this, he said, the regatists will have smart phones to post messages directly on social networks. It will be a way to improve the direct contact of the navigators with the audiences, to make them grow.

This is also one of the objectives of World Sailing, as announced by the head of operations of the federal entity, Hugh Chambers, through concepts such as inspiration and participation. "One thing is to involve more people, but we also want to ensure that they stay," he said. For this, work will be done to give more value to events and to create new commercial associations, which has worked very well, for example, to the New Zealand federation, as one of its spokespersons, David Abercrombie, explained.

The new digital media offer a new window full of possibilities in this regard. "Every minute 400 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube, and 60% of viewers view it on mobile," said Steve Nutall of YouTube, who has indicated that virtual reality and 360º videos are the technologies they will soon offer a before and after. In the same sense, Jerry Newman, of Facebook Sports, has said that new digital tools and the power of social networks offer a new window for sport and for new commercial opportunities. Andrew Preece and Matthew Sheahan, from Sunset + Vine's, have indeed talked about how television production is changing thanks to the digital age.

On the part of Influence Sports, Alistair Watkins has summarized the forum with his ideas on how sailing sport can offer great opportunities to attract sponsorship. The candle, in fact, offers attractive stories, with action and human character.

The World Sailing makes public its strategic plan for adapted sailing 2017-2020

The International Sailing Federation, World Sailing, today made public the strategic plan for sailing adapted for the four-year period 2017-2020, in search of the reintroduction of this sport in the program of the Paralympic Games for 2024. Published today during the Adapted Sailing Forum at the World Sailing annual conference in Barcelona, the strategic plan defines the objectives and lines of action that the global Sailing Regulatory Body will follow until 2020.

Massimo Dighe presents the For World Sailing Strategy. Photo: Dani Álvarez.

World Sailing President Carlo Croce explained: "The fall of the sailing program of the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020 in January 2015 made us very sad to the entire sailing community. It was a great loss to the Paralympic sport as a whole, because the Paralympic candle allows many disabilities to compete together at the same level... World Sailing needed to move on to action - it has continued. The strategic objectives we have highlighted today will ensure that the candle can present a strong candidacy for its reintroduction into the sports program of the Paralympic Games by 2024. In addition, World Sailing will double its investment in adapted sailing activities over the next four years ".

World Sailing's adapted strategic sailing plan has four main objectives
1) Increase participation around the world to 40 nations on 4 continents by the end of 2020
2) Expand female and youth competence and participation
3) Conduct effective communication to increase monitoring and loyalty with adapted sailing regatists and sailing fans
4) Ensure a framework of good governance

The action lines to achieve these objectives are set out in detail in the strategic plan, the overall objective of which is to ensure that World Sailing presents a strong candidacy to the International Paralympic Committee (ICC) for the reintroduction, in spring 2018, of the sailing at the Paralympic Games of 2024 and in future editions. World Sailing's adapted sailing director and Paralympic regatist in London 2012 Massimo Dighe has presented the strategic plan to the audience following the online forum and to the delegates attending the Barcelona Congress. "The decision of the International Paralympic Committee to remove the candle from the Paralympic Games was taken mainly because sport did not meet the minimum global criteria set out in the ICC Manual," said Dighe.

World Sailing presents its sustainability strategy in Barcelona

Barcelona hosts the annual conference of World Sailing, the international sailing federation, throughout the week, with the participation of over 700 delegates from all over the world to review, discuss and consensus on the future of this sport. Under the title "Our sustainable future," this year's congress focuses on the sustainability of sport, from the point of view of the economic and social management of the races, and also on the environmental sustainability, in particular of the waters of the planet, the environment where the practice of sailing is developed.

In this framework, the Sustainability Forum is held, at which World Sailing CEO Andy Hunt has presented the sustainability strategy for sailing sport. The document defines the approach of the international sailing federation to the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainability, in conjunction with the new vision of the World Sailing announced on 4 October, which is summarized in a simple message: sport, technology and nature in powerful harmony."The candle enjoys a unique relationship between sport, technology and the forces of nature. The regatists have the opportunity to be the guardians of the oceans and the waters of the world", said Andy Hunt during the announcement of the new strategy.

World Sailing Presents Strategy for the Sustainability of Sport at its Annual Conference in Barcelona (Laura Carrau)

The World Sailing Strategy for Sustainability ensures, for the federation, its members and its partners, a working framework aimed at achieving tangible environmental, social and economic benefits, through a number of objectives, including protecting and helping to improve the world's waters, promoting research into the impact of sailing on the environment, minimizing the ecological impact and promoting resource efficiency, among others.

In addition to the Sustainability Forum, the World Sailing annual conference in Barcelona includes two other forums, one on adapted sailing, which will take place tomorrow, and the other on the sport business strategy, scheduled for Wednesday. Another focus of the conference will be the meeting of the Events Committee, which will take place on Thursday and review the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, discuss the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee's Agenda 2020 and discuss events and equipment for Tokyo 2020, in view of gender equity, innovation and the exhibition of the races. No final decision will be taken during the week, but a number of guidelines will be formulated and will then be ratified in February.

Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards

The Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards ceremony is held at the Casa Llotja de Mar in Barcelona. The winners of these prestigious awards will be announced in the course of the night. Following open public votes that have taken place over the past three days, and which have been a novelty this year, the National Member Authorities (MNA) will vote during the gala. In the male category, the nominees are: Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL), Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO), Santiago Lange (ARG), Giles Scott (GBR) and Damien Seguin (FRA). They are the best regatist of the year in the female category Marit Bouwmeester (NED), Cecilia Carranza Saroli (ARG), Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA), Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) and Charline Picon (FRA)

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For a week Barcelona, under the auspices of Real Federación Española de Vela and the Federación Catalana de Vela, will become the focus of the world sailing, since this 2016 has been chosen as the venue of this event that is held every November in a place in the world and where the most important decisions are made, including the election of the various Committees. The conference provides the opportunity for members of national institutions, committees, subcommittees, commissions, class associations, regatists, event organizers, manufacturers and observers to discuss the future of sailing.

The leaders of the world sailing, Spanish and Catalan in the presentation of the World Sailing World Conference

More than 500 people were present at the 2015 edition, which took place in Sanya, China and this year (Olympic year) up to 700 people are expected in Barcelona. Andy Hunt, CEO of World Sailing said: "We are delighted that the Annual Meeting of the World Sailing is in Barcelona along with the Spanish and Catalan Federations. It will surely be a very important meeting point for the future and development of our sport." Barcelona is also reaffirmed as a reference destination for the practice of sailing and will show to the world of sailing the important cultural, gastronomic, shopping and leisure offer available to the city.