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- Finally . . . World Sailing has relocated to their new – 70% cheaper – headquarters
The new World Sailing premises in Hammersmith, Central London were formally opened by World Sailing President, Quanhai Li.
Conveniently located within walking distance of Hammersmith tube station, World Sailing’s new headquarters offer a private, bespoke office environment within a shared, fully-serviced complex and an ongoing cost saving of 70% compared to the previous office space in Paddington.
It might not quite be a case of ‘rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic’ but World Sailing has definitely stretched the boundaries of survival over the last couple of years since its catastrophic move from Southampton in 2017.
That apparent move to join the big-boys of International Sport Associations, while not having anywhere near their income stream and who’s very existence depends on their remaining an Olympic sport . . . which they then came within a gnat’s whisker of losing, is now a footnote in a colourful, chequered history.
In October 2021 World Sailing said that the pay out from Tokyo 2020 was expected to be around £11.85 million. This was in addition to the interest-free loan of $3.1 million (£2.3m/€2.7m) from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
World Sailing CEO David Graham said at that time that the Federation would have gone into liquidation without financial support from the IOC.
Fortunately, it seems that the Covid pandemic may just have provided an atmosphere of available office space and changed working conditions in London which have worked to their advantage.
In their latest announcement David Graham, World Sailing CEO, said, “We are very pleased to move into our new headquarters. The new surroundings have been renovated to suit our purpose and will allow us to work together again and implement an efficient blend of remote and hybrid working”
“We will continue to offer that model for staff as we have seen, like businesses around the world, that it is successful and beneficial to our operations.”
He added, “The savings we will make following this move [Ed, apparently a saving of £420,000 per year] can be invested back into the sport for the benefit of sailors worldwide.”
“This is an opportunity to reform the sport, build for the future and achieve our strategic objectives as an organisation without the financial burdens of the past.”
Related Post:
World Sailing expects £11+ million payout from Tokyo Games
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