In the introduction to his latest Newsletter, Kim Andersen, President of World Sailing, confirms that this pandemic has affected and will affect all areas of society, including all of us in the sailing world.
And that ahead of us we have another unprecedented challenge – organizing and managing our sport going forward – with sacrifices and compromises to be made, but that extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures.
Mr Andersen sumises that at this moment . . . nobody knows what the realities of the post-COVID-19 world will look like . . . What is clear, however, is that we will all need to take a close look at the scope of some of our activities and make the necessary adjustments to the new realities.
He does mention one of the rare bright spots for World Sailing, the recent appointment of David Graham as the new CEO of World Sailing from 13 July 2020.
In the Presidential Newsletter Mr Andersen touches on:
Future planning & organizing of World Sailing –
Starting with the plans for World Sailing’s Annual Conference in Abu Dhabi, the Board has decided to seek advice in case the venue agreed is not safe for hosting the conference.
Evaluating the options, the Board has decided to ask the MNAs to approve a written resolution amending the Constitution to accept a meeting “not in-person”.
For the last week of May the plan is to have a “Townhall Mid-Year Meeting”. The agenda is still to be finalized but points regarding World Sailing’s finances as well as a proceedings update for the AGM from Commissions and Committees would be part of the final agenda.
World Sailing financial planning –
A continuing dialog with the IOC and other possible funding measures in order to close the gap and bridge the months till after the Olympic Games in 2021. We are confident that a good solution will be reached.
Sustainability Education Programme launched –
The launch World Sailing’s Sustainability Education Programme in partnership with the World Sailing Trust, 11th Hour Racing and The Ocean Race.
eSailing on the rise –
There continues to be a rise in players on Virtual Regatta, World Sailing’s official eSports partner, and the launch of nine eSailing National Championships.
Training and Development Webinars –
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Training and Development team have been doing a great job engaging with our MNAs to grow the sport of sailing at a grass roots level.
The post COVID-19 world –
Short-term, we can assume that the racing activities would be limited to national and possibly “closed” regions.
Despite all the uncertainty, we should look for the silver lining and I believe in the months to come we can achieve good things that will be benefit the future of our sport.
Read the full April Newsletter here
If you have any questions, I urge you to reach out at any time.
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KimAndersenSailing/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KimAndersen_
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