The second day of World Sailing’s 2020 Annual Conference saw both the Classes Committee meeting and the Para World Sailing Committee meeting take place virtually.

The Classes Committee started first at 16:00 UTC, with Markus Schwendtner, International Kiteboarding Association representative, chairing the meeting, and Hendrik Plate, World Sailing Technical Specialist, as Committee Manager, on videoconferencing programme BlueJeans.

67 Class Associations were in attendance, from the Optimist to the International Maxi Class, which is one of the highest ever numbers recorded at this Committee meeting. Those who joined the call were free to have their say on a variety of topics, including technical regulations, safety and sustainability.

The Committee discussed a wide number of submissions that touch on numerous areas within World Sailing, such as governance and policy, finance, and items that impact the management and running of Class Associations.

Additionally, every four years the World Sailing Classes Committee vote for a Chair and a Vice-Chair.

Schwendtner Chaired the Committee during this term, with Corinne Rolland-McKenzie as Vice-Chair.

Two candidates were nominated for Chair of the Committee – David Sprague, Lightning Class Representative, and Jan Martin Wilschut, Cadet Class Representative.

Both candidates presented to the Class Associations in attendance, outlining their candidacy as well as answering questions posed by attendees.

The Class Associations voted with 36 for Jan Martin Wilschut and 30 for David Sprague. Wilschut was subsequently voted in as Chair for the 2021-2024 quadrennial.

Markus Schwendtner was the sole candidate for Vice-Chair and was approved by the Committee, with 64 votes and two abstentions.

Several reports were received, including one from Dan Reading, Head of Sustainability at World Sailing, on Sustainability Agenda 2030. Reading focused on the work delivered by Class Associations and how they are aligned to Agenda 2030. The Optimist Class were most recently an early adopter of World Sailing’s new Sustainability Education Programme, and more Class Associations and Member Nations are looking to adopt the resources.

This was the first meeting of the 2020 Annual Conference to be streamed live on YouTube – you can re-watch it below:

The Para World Sailing Committee meeting began at 18:00 UTC. It was chaired by Betsy Alison, Chair of the Committee, with Massimo Dighe, Para World Sailing Manager, as Committee Manager.

This Committee is responsible for discussing the state of Para Sailing worldwide, organising and reporting on Para Sailing events, planning Para Sailing Development Programmes (PDPs) in key locations, and ensuring that everything is on track with the ultimate aim of reinstating Para Sailing into the Paralympic Games.

At the end of 2019, a new Strategic Plan was announced, with several aims and objectives outlined to achieve by 2023. This was reviewed one year into the Plan, discussing events, PDPs and the work done so far in 2020 towards achieving these goals.

The general consensus was that in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has naturally affected many aspects of the sport on the whole, Para Sailing has demonstrated great resilience this year, with many nations holding events, even at a national level. Many more events are planned for 2021 and beyond, to guarantee maximum participation and inclusion.

Elsewhere, PDPs have been halted for 2020, but focus has shifted to online education and webinars, to ensure that MNAs can continue to access knowledge and resources. There are several PDPs planned for 2021; one of these being in Singapore, making up part of a long-term plan to create a strong Para Sailing presence in Asia.

And two submissions, aimed at guaranteeing future support for Para Sailing, were discussed, with one deferred and the other approved.

The meeting was recorded in BlueJeans and is now available on World Sailing’s YouTube channel. You can watch it back below:

From 16:00 to 19:00 UTC, World Sailing's Classes Committee will meet virtually at the 2020 Annual Conference.

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