A model of sustainable experience implemented in a children's sailing world championship
by Windba Ballena Alegre 22 Oct 2023 05:45 PDT
The sustainable experience model implemented in the Sant Pere Pescador children's sailing world championship is a finalist for the most prestigious award in this field in the world © Club de Vela la Ballena Alegre
The model of sustainable experience implemented in the children's sailing world championship in Sant Pere Pescador is a finalist for the most prestigious award in this field in the world.
The jury of experts highlights the power of environmental awareness of an event that has created an innovative model of regatta organization
The sustainable experience project of the Optimist World Championship, which was held at the Ballena Alegre Sailing Club last June, has been nominated as one of the four finalists of the prestigious World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award. It is the world's highest recognition of the marine environment, to which all global sustainability initiatives in the world of sailing and the nautical industry are eligible.
The jury of the award, made up of expert international judges, has recognized the impact of the "Sustainable experience" project, developed among the 260 young sailors from the five continents, who participated in the World Championship in Sant Pere Pescador. During their stay on the Costa Brava they actively participated in various activities related to sustainability.
With the backbone of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, workshops, actions and shows were developed that include the dissemination of projects for the protection of our fishing environment, projects for the regeneration of gorgònies and podisonia in Cap de Creus, the regeneration of cuttlefish and octopuses in the Badia de Roses, the protection of species on the beach of Sant Pere Pescador, of heritage recovery with the ruins of Empúries to touch from the headquarters of the championship and of environmental awareness in the territory with a show that will visit more than thirty municipalities until the end of summer 2024. Social responsibility actions were also carried out with sailing days for children with disabilities, recycling and reuse of nautical materials, with boats and motorized vehicles in a sustainable way, and the celebration of a virtual regatta under the concept of learning by playing and taking advantage of the power of music with the official song of the event, amongst others.
An event that has become the first children's sailing world championship to have carried out criminal compliance, as a tool to promote ethics in sport. The jury highlighted the values of this initiative, such as the comprehensive safety of minors, equal and dignified treatment, respect for the environment and fair play.
Four projects and one winner to be decided by vote
The result of the sustainable experience has been to have an innovative model of regatta organization as a legacy of the event, turning the sporting event itself into a tool for environmental awareness. This value has earned it a finalist, along with three other projects selected from around the world: a project for the empowerment of women in the world of sailing born in the United Kingdom, a study promoted in France on the evolution of marine phytoplankton and an Italian project to build boats with recyclable materials. The winner will be decided by the votes of a panel of experts and users who voted online between Oct-18 and Oct-30.
An economic impact of more than €13 million
The study of the socio-economic impact of the celebration of the Optimist World Championship leaves a figure of more than 13 million euros, in a territory that, due to its meteorological characteristics and organizational capacity, has positioned itself as a world reference for the practice of nautical sports. The organiser of this championship, the Club de Vela la Ballena Alegre, is already working to host the F18 and Windsurfer Catamaran World Championships next year. The project has been supported by the Fundació Barcelona Nàutica and the Grup d'Acció Local Pesquer de la Costa Brava.