Moving to summer 2017
World Sailing, the International Sailing Federation, had been based in Southampton, in the south of England, for 20 years. Following a decision by its Executive Board, the institution will move to London in the summer of 2017. World Sailing is currently working to identify suitable premises in the centre of the British capital.
Many candidates
London was chosen following a selection process launched after the election of World Sailing's new president, Kim Andersen, in November 2016. Several criteria had been set by the committee in charge of the move:
- Be an international city
- Connection and ease of access for World Sailing members and stakeholders
- Ability to retain existing staff
- Cultural diversity with a high level, multi-lingual hiring pool
Southampton, Geneva, Lausanne, London, Winchester, Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia were initially evaluated. In December 2016, the cities of Southampton, London, Barcelona and Valencia were pre-selected.
Andy Hunt, CEO of World Sailing says"World Sailing has received a strong interest from cities wishing to host the international federation. Each city has put forward a strong proposal and I thank them and the city of Southampton for hosting us over the past 20 years. "
An international city
It's a return to the source for World Sailing. Indeed, before changing its name, the federation, then called IYRU then ISAF, had been based in London since its creation in 1907.
Kim Andersen, President of World Sailing welcomes the choice of the English capital. "Like any good direction, my team and I sought what was best for World Sailing and our sport. We took into consideration World Sailing's DNA as a whole, the technical capabilities needed to lead the organization, the international aspect, accessibility and available language skills
