Sail Canada statement on World Sailing Reinstatement Bid for Para Sailing at 2028 Paralympic Games

Paul Tingley, Scott Lutes and Logan Campbell compete in the 3-Person Keelboat (Sonar) at the Marina da Gloria during the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil © Matthew Murnaghan / Canadian Paralympic Committee

World Sailing launched today a campaign for the reinstatement of the sport of sailing at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles and shared its strategic priorities to support the growth of the sport by 2023.

Read: International Federation World Sailing Kick-Starts Reinstatement Bid for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.

Don Adams, CEO of Sail Canada:

"Sail Canada strongly supports this campaign and will definitively work jointly with World Sailing in the hopes that Para Sailing will be back at the Paralympic Games in 2028."

"Canada has a rich history of Para Sailing, having won five medals in this sport at the Paralympic Games and seven at the Para World Sailing Championships."

"But above all, sailing is a sport for life, that allows all Canadians living with or without a disability, and at any age, to be active in a country that certainly has no lack of lakes and oceans where one can enjoy sailing."

"Sail Canada just launched its new 2021-2024 Strategic Plan, which includes objectives of diversity, inclusivity and equity. The reinstatement of sailing at the Paralympic Games constitutes a meaningful initiative not only for our national organization's strategy to increase the number of Para Sailors, but also for all Canadians living with a physical disability. Access to financial resources linked to Paralympic sports allows national organizations to invest not only in high performance and development, but also in the accessibility of sports for approximately 15% of Canadians living with a physical disability. And for the higher-performing athletes, the possibility of participating in the Paralympic Games would give them an additional goal while taking part in a sport they are passionate about."

Paul Tingley, three-time medalist in sailing at the Paralympic Games:

"I strongly believe that sailing is one of the most inclusive Paralympic sports among them all. Whatever your disability, all Para Sailors can be in a sailboat, be active in their favourite class as well as compete and have fun with their teammates. No other sport offers us the privilege of being so inclusive. This is what makes sailing such a unique sport and that is why it deserves to be included in the Paralympic Games program."

Jackie Gay, Silver Medalist, 2016 Rio Paralympic Games:

"The Paralympic Games are the pinnacle of our sport, and for young and newly disabled sailors to know that this opportunity is open to them is something that will fill the entire pyramid with energy and potential. We miss our friends and the international community! We miss the chance to bring medals home for our country and to leave our challenges and disabilities behind as we sail away from the dock to compete at the highest level."

"Sailors know that sailors never stop learning. I want to learn everything that the ocean has to teach me, and competing in Para Sailing is a huge part of this journey. I am very thankful for all the opportunities I have had and will do all I can to secure these opportunities for Para Sailors in the future. We have a fantastic legacy already, now let's build on it!"