As the thrilling racing wrapped up from the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix, presented by P&O Marinas, another milestone event for the global championship's 2025 Season calendar commenced - the SailGP Women's Performance Camp, delivered by DP World.

Taking place across Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 November, on and off the waters of Port Mina Rashid, the Dubai camp sees the fruition of the league’s largest female athlete development program to date in terms of on-water training hours. With the support of DP World, the two-day program consisted of intensive training in key positions on three of the fleet’s identical F50 catamarans, with three bespoke practice races, and 18 female athletes taking part. 

Supported by SailGP coaches and several position specialists, the intensive training window has fostered collaboration and skill development between both male and female athletes, to help close the experience gap in the sport. SailGP’s long-term vision is to promote gender equality in leadership positions on and off the water, with an ambition for two female athletes per race crew in key positions by 2030.

Fiona Morgan, Chief Purpose Officer, SailGP, "The SailGP Women’s Performance Camp, delivered by DP World, was the perfect way to kick off the 2025 season, bringing fresh energy and momentum to our vision of changing the face of sailing. This camp marks an important step forward in SailGP’s commitment to achieving greater gender equity in the sport. To make this a reality, we must continue to deliver on-water training programs, which present unique operational challenges but with huge rewards. 

It was fantastic to have DP World, as a new partner, step in right away to see how they could support and help break down these barriers. The progress made by the athletes in such a short time was nothing short of phenomenal - it’s inspiring to witness accomplished athletes coming together and driving this movement of change. 

While this is just the beginning, these few days were incredibly special for everyone involved. Empowerment comes not just from the strength within, but from the courage to push boundaries, challenge the status quo, and redefine what’s possible on the water. The future of sailing is one where women and men will together lead the charge.”

DP World CEO & Managing Director for the GCC Region, Abdulla bin Damithan said, “DP World is proud to support the SailGP Women’s Performance Camp, a ground-breaking initiative that empowers female SailGP athletes and drives inclusivity within the sport by creating opportunities many of the athletes have not previously had access to. Our partnership reflects our commitment to fostering diversity and creating opportunities for women to excel. By leveraging our global reach and expertise, we aim to inspire the next generation of athletes, ensuring that talent is nurtured. This training camp is just one example of how we’re supporting meaningful change and enabling women to compete at the highest level.”

Liv Mackay, fresh off her win with the New Zealand SailGP Team in the 2025 Season opener of the Rolex SailGP Championship just the day before, was putting her expert strategist skills aside for the day, and taking the helm in the driving seat instead. She spoke enthusiastically about what the development camp offered her and her fellow athletes: 

“A women's performance camp is absolutely awesome. It's the first of its kind we’ve had - supported by DP World - and to have 18 women involved is a huge step forward; two days of getting this kind of experience. I'm super excited to just get that time on the water.”

Just earlier in November, DP World and SailGP, both leaders of progress in their respective fields, announced a groundbreaking global smart logistics partnership. The collaboration sees DP World, a world-leading provider of end-to-end supply chain solutions, become a SailGP global partner and oversee the transport and delivery of the Rolex SailGP Championship’s annual event calendar, spanning some of the world’s most iconic destinations.

The three-season partnership kicked off at the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix, presented by P&O Marinas - the opening event of the Rolex SailGP Championship’s 2025 Season, which took place across Saturday and Sunday 23-24 November 2024. The most exciting racing on water heads down under in January, with the Rolex SailGP’s first event of the new year, the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Auckland (January 18-19, 2025).