Emerging Nations Program to kickstart Olympic dream at 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships

World Sailing will be supporting the participation of 44 athletes from 27 nations as part of its Emerging Nations Program (ENP) in order to narrow the performance gap and make the highest level of the sport more accessible to all so that promising sailors do not miss out due to external factors.

In the six days before racing begins, the sailors will join the Emerging Nations Program Coaching Group and receive pre-event training from experienced coaches, many of whom were Olympians themselves, in order to prepare for the Championships. They will also receive coaching during the Championships. Nine of the group competed at Tokyo 2020, and even more will be aiming to qualify for Paris 2024.

The group of participating coaches will include Jon Emmett, a sailing coach for nearly 30 years and current ILCA Masters World Champion, Olympic sailor and coach Susannah Pyatt from New Zealand, former UK National Champion Georgina Povall, former RS:X and iQFOiL athlete turned iQFOiL coach Karolina Kluszczyńska from Poland, and Lijia Xu, China’s first sailing Olympic gold medallist is also joining the coaching group before taking on media duties.

Jon Emmett has been a professional sailing coach for nearly 30 years and has coached up to Olympic gold medal winning standards. As someone directly involved in helping sailors achieve their dreams, Jon has long-recognised the importance of the ENP.

He says, “The Emerging Nations Program has tremendous value allowing sailors regardless of background to have world class coaching at key events. This support allows sailors to perform to their true potential by giving them assistance when most needed, to help the best sailors – regardless of where they are from – to compete at the Olympic Games and feed their knowledge back to their home countries.”

“The goal is to improve sailing all around the world and demonstrate sailing really is a worldwide sport, suitable for everyone. Where there is a will there is a way and hard work and talent will always be rewarded.”

Susannah also competed at London 2012, and then coached at Rio 2016. Now she’s back on the campaign trail, coaching Olympic classes in the USA, and shares these sentiments while hoping that making coaching more accessible will lead to greater participation at the highest level.

She said, “It has been a dream of mine to work with this program and the sailors. I see the knowledge being shared with athletes who otherwise wouldn’t be able to obtain this level of technical information. This allows talented sailors to rise to the top and achieve their dreams.

“The aim for the ENP Program is to grow participation and with that we hope for improved performances at the Sailing World Championships, World Cups, and the Olympic Games. From the increase in active role models, we also hope to see an increase in participation and performance at youth level.”

Georgina, now a coach with the Great Britain team, added, “The success of the ENP increases the competitiveness of the fleet with a wider number of nations and sailors competing for the top positions, whilst being a positive representation of the sport and inspiring more people to get out on the water worldwide – specifically in countries where sailing isn’t a traditional or easily accessible sport.

“We have already seen an increase in the number of new and youth sailors competing regularly for these nations. Developing training programmes and supporting sailors through coaching qualifications will build a good foundation to encourage the next generation to get involved with the sport.”

In 2022 Karolina held an iQFOiL Clinic in Türkiye for over 40 athletes and truly believes in the role the ENP plays in supporting sailors. Throughout her career she saw the lengths some have to go to in order to compete and is now looking to share her experience with those next in line.

“As a former sailor, I know how important it is. Athletes should focus on training and recovery. That’s why it’s so important to support the athletes and help them become better,” she says.

“For me, the main long-term goal in ENP is activate more sailors from Emerging Nations and support them on their way to Olympic Games. I want to show those athletes that they are not alone on their way. They will have World Sailing support to be able participate in major events.”

Lijia competed in three Olympics, winning bronze in Beijing 2008 and gold at London 2012. She is now an on-camera presenter for events such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, SailGP, and The Ocean Race, and is keen to pass on her knowledge and experience to the future generations.

“Getting to know sailors from those sailing developing countries, get to know their background and help them in all means I can help them to achieve their dream,” she said. “Making sailing more accessible for all nations and helping more countries to join our sailing community creates the opportunity for sailors around the world to compete at the highest level and inspire others to join our sailing family.”

To find out more about the Emerging Nations Program and all development programs offered by World Sailing, please visit the World Sailing website.

The 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships, The Hague, will be covered in full on the official event website.