Nobel Peace Prize..to a SAILING Organisation?

by Cruising Editor on 15 Jun 2006 Sailing is usually looked on as a sport for the weekend sailor, a life style for the ‘live-aboards’, a luxury activity for the well heeled, or, in the case of recent racing, just another avenue for modern companies to get their message to the consumer. But there’s one sailing organisation that may come to mean something much more to the world if Svein Roald Hansen has his way…

Svein Roald Hansen is a Norwegian Member of Parliament, and he says he has just nominated SAIL TRAINING INTERNATIONAL, a UK based charity, for a Nobel Peace Prize. And why? '-for its activities promoting international understanding and friendship through sail training for young people.

He cites Sail Training International's growing global activities and its international races for sail training Tall Ships which 'demonstrate such a strong coherence with the ethos of the Peace prize'.

However, while this would be a wonderful tribute to an organisation which can attract 70-100 sail training vessels with an involvement of 3-5,000 young trainee crew from up to 30 countries every year, Sail-World was unable to check the claim. The Nobel Peace Prize Organisation was saying nothing, and very coy about their nominations.

They wrote, 'Information about the nominations, investigations, and opinions concerning the award is kept secret for fifty years.'

Well, that’s long time to wait. So what about the publicity about certain people being nominated?

And they wrote, 'Well, either it's just a rumour, or someone among the invited nominators has leaked out information. You'll find it out in fifty years ...'

ABOUT SAIL TRAINING INTERNATIONAL:

Sail Training International works closely with the world's sail training Tall Ships, national sail training organisations and host ports around the world, to help young people benefit from the sail training experience, regardless of their ethnic, religious or social background. The organisation is the world's leading provider of races and events, conferences and seminars, publications, research and other services for the international sail training community. International understanding and friendship is a core value of the events organised by Sail Training International. Its annual series of Tall Ships' Races in Europe routinely attracts a fleet of 70-100 sail training vessels from up to 20 different countries and with 3-5,000 young trainee crews from up to 30 countries. The premier award in these races is the Sail Training International 'Friendship Trophy'. Recent winners have been the crew of ships from Russia and Oman.

ABOUT THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE:

The Nobel Peace Prize was created in 1901 and is awarded annually by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. It is recognised as the most prestigious prize of its kind and the Committee has traditionally used a very broad definition of 'peace'. Alfred Nobel left most of his wealth to create a family of Prizes, the one for Peace to be awarded to the person or organisation who, among other things, 'shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations.' Recipients over the years have included many famous men and women, but a number of organisation too, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Labour Organisation, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. 191 names were submitted for the 2006 Peace Prize, 23 of which are organizations

BUT BACK TO SVEIN ROALD HANSEN:

'Those involved in Sail Training International today have been the main architects of the international sail training activity over recent decades,' says Svein Roald Hansen. 'The vision they share, exemplified by the traditions and achievements of their international events and other activities, demonstrate such a strong coherence with the ethos of the Peace Prize. I am proud to propose the organisation for the Nobel Peace prize.'

Sail-World Cruising is proud too, and we believe you Svein Roald Hansen.