A Global Movement to ‘Give to Gain’

Running across two global activation periods—from 22–31 May and 25 September–4 October—the sixth edition of Steering the Course adopts the theme “Give to Gain”. The message is simple but powerful: by sharing time, expertise and encouragement, the sailing community can help create pathways for future generations while strengthening the sport itself.

Fiona Kidd, World Sailing’s Head of International Development, believes the programme demonstrates the collective power of sport to create change.

“When we give our time, our expertise, and our encouragement, we don’t just support others, we strengthen our sport as a whole. Every activity delivered, every new participant welcomed, and every story shared helps build a more inclusive and vibrant future for sailing.”

The initiative is already delivering tangible results. Sailability Hong Kong, one of the programme’s original supporters, has introduced more than 6,500 women to sailing through the festival since its inception. Elsewhere, World Sailing is investing in long-term capacity building through technical education programmes, including Race Officer training in Iceland and coaching development courses in Brazil. Additional activities across South Africa, Bolivia and St Vincent and the Grenadines are helping to broaden participation and raise awareness of opportunities available to women and girls throughout the sport.

Beyond Participation: Changing the Narrative

While increasing participation remains a key objective, World Sailing’s latest announcement recognises that representation matters just as much as access.

The federation’s new Portrayal Guidelines, adapted from the International Olympic Committee’s 2026 guidance, tackle how athletes are presented through media, communications and storytelling. The publication highlights a number of persistent challenges facing women’s sport globally. Just 13% of sports media coverage is dedicated to women, only 20% of sports news is presented by women, and female coaches represented just 12% of accredited coaches at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Yet more than 84% of sports fans express an interest in women’s sport.

For Alexandra Rickham, World Sailing’s Director of Sustainability, the issue is deeply personal. A Paralympic medallist and one of the sport’s most prominent advocates for inclusion, she believes visibility remains one of the most powerful drivers of participation.

“Having been working in sport for almost 20 years, whether as an athlete or behind the scenes, it is still rare that I see people who look like me,” she said. “We forget the importance of portrayal – if you can see it, you can be it – to engage diverse participation and audiences. We live in a global society driven by imagery and voices, so to not value this is inherently a missed opportunity.”

Rickham acknowledges that sailing, like many sports, still has considerable work to do in this space. The new guidelines represent an important first step, encouraging sailing organisations around the world to adopt more inclusive approaches to storytelling, imagery and communications while helping to create pathways for a broader and more diverse generation of participants, leaders and role models.

The guidance promotes gender-neutral language, diverse representation and balanced coverage, while discouraging commentary focused on appearance, stereotypes or personal circumstances unrelated to sporting performance. One of its most powerful recommendations is the “Flip the Gender” test, which asks communicators to consider whether the same language would be used if discussing a male athlete. If not, it may reveal an unconscious bias.

The message is clear: women’s sailing should be covered with the same professionalism, visibility and respect afforded to any other aspect of the sport.

Purpose in Action

The initiative also reflects World Sailing’s growing reputation as one of the most purposeful governing bodies in global sport. Within the forthcoming Global Sustainable Sport SPI Index, World Sailing is set to feature among the Top 50 most purposeful sports organisations in the world.

The federation’s long-term commitment to participation, inclusion, governance and sustainability demonstrates how purpose can be embedded not only through strategy and policy, but through the stories sport chooses to tell and the people it chooses to represent. Steering the Course shows that creating opportunities is only part of the challenge; ensuring those opportunities are visible is equally important.

Looking Beyond the Horizon

World Sailing’s dual approach of grassroots participation and structural media reform reflects a broader understanding of sustainability in sport. Success is not simply about increasing numbers on the water; it is about creating an environment where everyone can see a place for themselves within the sport.

As the Portrayal Guidelines conclude, the ultimate goal is not to create a separate narrative for women’s sailing, but to ensure athletes are recognised first and foremost for their sporting achievements.

In the words of World Sailing’s new guidance: “It’s not women’s sailing – it’s sailing.”