April 13, 2023
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World Sailing President and IOC Vice President meet to share plans for future development of eSailing
World Sailing President Quanhai Li recently met with IOC Vice President Ng Ser Miang in Beijing to present a progress report on the growth of eSailing, one of the fastest growing disciplines in the sport.
Attracting professional sailors and keen amateurs from across the globe, World Sailing’s existing competitions – the eSailing Nations Cup and eSailing World Championships, organised in partnership with Virtual Regatta – have seen in excess of 50,000 unique players register each season and a passionate online community follow the events live on the World Sailing YouTube channel.
At the meeting, the pair exchanged ideas for the further growth of eSailing and avenues for collaboration between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Sailing ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and beyond as World Sailing continues to make the sport accessible to new audiences around the world.
Vice President Ng Ser Miang spoke highly of the current position of eSailing and highlighted the Olympic Esports Series which is currently underway and will culminate in a live finals series in Singapore from 22-25 June 2023.
The IOC has embraced Virtual Sports with every International Federation affirming its support as a platform for the development of Olympic sports around the world. He encouraged World Sailing to maintain its momentum and focus on realising the full potential of eSailing.
President Li and Vice President Ng Ser Miang also agreed that eSailing can serve as an ideal introduction to the sport for first-time sailors and new players.
More information about World Sailing’s eSailing competitions can be found on the World Sailing website.