World Sailing President meets with IOC President in Beijing to reaffirm support for the Olympic Movement

On behalf of World Sailing, President Li expressed his gratitude to the IOC and President Bach for their constant support of World Sailing and to the development of the sport.

World Sailing President Quanhai Li said, “World Sailing will continue striving to promote the Olympic Movement in accordance with the Olympic Charter and work tirelessly to create more opportunities within sailing and develop the sport worldwide.”

At the meeting, President Li also shared a progress update about preparations for the Paris 2024 Sailing Test Events and the Olympic Games. The sailing events will take place in Marseille and a test event is planned for July 2023.

He mentioned that World Sailing has established a very strong working relationship with the local organising committee, and planning is nearly complete, with many teams already in France for training ahead of the event.

The two leaders also discussed the upcoming Olympic Esports Week in Singapore, the latest in a growing roster of international Esailing events. President Li and President Bach also agreed that Esailing can serve as an ideal introduction to the sport for first-time sailors and new players, which is significant to the promotion of sailing. President Li also formally invited President Bach for the Sailing World Championships 2023, The Hague, being held in The Netherlands in August.

President Bach commented that he appreciates the contribution made by World Sailing in promoting the Olympic Movement and he is particularly grateful for the efforts made by World Sailing in implementing the Olympic Agenda 2020+5 and proposing comprehensive and wide-reaching plans for the sustainable development of sports events.

Lastly, President Bach expressed that the IOC fully supports the development of World Sailing and wished the sailing family a safe and successful delivery for all upcoming events.