Canada SailGP Team is pleased to join forces with Ocean Wise just a week before the Team's debut in SailGP Season 3, which starts with the Bermuda Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess on 14-15 May.
Inspiring the nation through sport, the Team aims to engage and educate fans and the next generation of sailors across the country about the importance of our ocean for the food we eat and the air we breathe.
As the Team's Race for the Future partner, Ocean Wise will collaborate with the Team on a comprehensive outreach, education and inclusivity plan focussed on protecting and restoring our ocean. The partnership will be the cornerstone of the Team's Purpose and Impact strategy, which includes the We CAN Foil development programme that will roll out across Canada this summer.
SailGP teams not only compete intensely on the water, but are also scored on their efforts to make a positive difference for our planet in the first ever podium for the planet - The Impact League, celebrating Teams' positive actions in social and environmental sustainability. The Impact League will be closely following the Teams' efforts to educate on and mitigate the impacts of climate change, setting a new standard in sport.
"The ocean is our race track, so we understand first hand the importance of protecting and restoring it. We are very pleased to be partnering with Ocean Wise on this important part of our Team's programme and look forward to working with their team to really make a difference in Canada, but also in all the countries we will compete in," said Canada SailGP Team CEO, Jean-Sébastien Chénier Proteau.
"The partnership between Ocean Wise and the Canada SailGP Team is an opportunity to put Canada on the map with regards to ocean conservation," said Lasse Gustavsson, CEO of Ocean Wise. "Together with the Canada SailGP Team, we've set our sights on winning the Impact League. We'll do this by building ocean positivity programs into their DNA from day one!
"Canada SailGP Team is changing the face of sailing in Canada, building a new and diverse generation of sailors and ocean lovers! I am very excited to say that Ocean Wise will be part of this feat."
Canada has the world's longest coastline and the Team has already set the ambitious goal to clean up the equivalent of this distance. Using Ocean Wise's data collection technology, the Team will measure and report on all clean ups, as well as engage local community groups to participate. The Team's first shoreline clean up expedition will take place in Bermuda this week.
Recognizing the critical importance the ocean plays in the fight against climate change, another Ocean Wise initiative that the Team will be supporting is kelp sea reforestation in British Columbia and other parts of the world. The Team will also be working with our partners to foster technological innovation toward cleaner energy.