CBVela aims to address inequality with a high-performance pathway for female coaches in Brazil

While the ultimate goal is to train and qualify coaches to work in high performance sailing, the project will also provide avenues for development, and address inequalities, at all levels.

The project is an initiative of the Women’s Sailing Development Area led by director Lígia Becker, sports manager Martha Rocha and coordinator Maria Hackerott. They believe it has the potential to enrich the experience of women nationwide by creating a network of sailing coaches at different levels all across Brazil.

“Sailing, like many other aspects of society, was governed and practiced exclusively by men for many years. Leaders, managers, race officials, coaches, instructors and the majority of athletes were men, with few exceptions,” Maria said. “With the passage of time and demands for gender equality, we have seen the beginnings of change in society and also within sailing – there is, however, still a long way to go.”

According to research conducted by the World Sailing Trust in 2018, the vast majority of women in sailing believe that gender imbalance is a problem in the sport. This opinion intensifies with age and there was no significant geographic variation; it is common in the 75 countries involved in the research. Furthermore, it was observed that low female participation causes and demonstrates discrimination, lack of support and lack of representation.

Delving deeper, CBVela conducted a survey of sailors participating in the 2022 national championships in the junior, youth, Olympic, Pan-American, amateur and ocean sailing categories.

The survey highlighted that the Optimist class, the first class many sailors experience, is the most balanced between female and male participation, while the predominantly amateur classes are the most unequal. The survey also showed that, in the last two Olympic cycles, all of the Olympic medals won by Brazil in sailing have been won by women.

Martha explains, “The statistics showed that only one female coach was involved at the National Youth Championship in 2023 and there were no female coaches in any national championship in 2022. More concerning is that after consulting with clubs and federations, we realised that while there are coaches working day-to-day in national sailing clubs, they are not selected for the most important championships.”

Covering three distinct areas – theoretical training; practical and specific training; and a mentoring program – it will bring together male and female coaches and athletes to develop the skills of emerging female coaches, sailors moving into coaching, and build a framework for coaching development that will aid the growth of all levels.

Maria said, “There are female athletes in Brazil with an incredible knowledge of the sport, and by using these abilities there is an opportunity to construct a sport with less gender inequality where celebrated athletes serve as inspiration for the training of the next generation.”

In the short term, the goal of training 15 coaches with the skills for high-performance sailing will increase the number of coaches working in the different regions of Brazil, which also increases the number of athletes coached by women.

A more prominent female presence in the sport should also help encourage more women to stay in the sport, making them better sailors by connecting them to coaches on the high-performance pathway and aligning the younger age groups with the elite level.

“We realised that women in sailing experience many uncomfortable situations just by being women. This can be overcome by increasing the number of women sailors, leaders, race officials and, mainly, the number of coaches, since they will serve as educators on a daily basis,” Martha added.

By the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, CBVela aims to have at least three high-performance coaches qualified to work in the Olympic categories and have a high-performance coach for each of the Olympic categories at the 2028 Olympic Games.

The continuous development of coaches should make it possible for more qualified female coaches to gain the experience required to reach the elite level and train sailors in all Olympic categories. By 2028, CBVela hopes that 30% of coaches in the Brazilian Optimist Championship are female. This is currently where the largest proportion of female trainers operate and is often the first high level of competition young sailors experience.

Maria is confident about achieving these goals, and by ensuring the project is integrated with CBVela’s strategy she believes the initiative will advance the cultural shift in the sport and in society.

“The Women’s Sailing Development Project has well-defined values, such as believing that women deserve equal opportunities in sport and in life, and that representation is essential to inspire new generations,” Maria explains.

The Women’s Sailing Development Area has a program with objectives that include inspiring women of all ages in sport, stimulating the exchange of experiences and learning, encouraging female participation in training, development and sports improvement events, encouraging women to pursue a career in management and training, broadening the debate on gender equality, and driving greater recognition of women in the community.

“We understand that every individual has the potential to impact the community around them, and that the sailing community must be involved, with men as allies. Sharing different experiences enriches the repertoire of women from different areas of sailing activity, from sailors and managers to race officials and sports psychologists. The nationwide connection between women enhances the strength of the group, transforming sailing into a pleasant sport to be involved in,” Ligia says.

“By encouraging female participation in sailing and training female coaches, we can contribute to a cultural change in sport and in society as a whole, and encourage others to always seek to promote equal opportunities for all,” she added.

Find out more about how World Sailing is supporting the development of female coaches in Brazil in the video below.