SailGP has announced the first results (Focus Area 1) for the 2026 Season Impact League today, with New Zealand’s Black Foils earning top honors for their support of an ambitious campaign to end bottom trawling on seamounts in New Zealand's waters and the South Pacific high seas.
An independent panel of judges recognized the team's exceptional leadership in delivering measurable environmental and social impact beyond the racecourse for combining athlete advocacy, public mobilization and direct policy engagement to drive meaningful action for ocean health.
As the world's first sustainability competition integrated into a global sports championship, the Impact League tracks and rewards SailGP teams for their positive environmental and social actions outside of racing. Teams are scored across two focus areas – Better Planet and Better Sport – demonstrating that high performance and impact are not competing priorities, but mutually reinforcing drivers of success.
The Black Foils' winning initiative tackled one of New Zealand's most pressing marine conservation challenges. Led by co-CEO and Olympic Champion Blair Tuke in partnership with Live Ocean, the campaign centered around Swim4TheOcean, a 90-day, 1,367-kilometer endurance swim completed by ultra-distance swimmer Jono Ridler along the east coast of New Zealand's North Island to build public support for stronger ocean protections.
Black Foils athletes participated in community events, supported the mission on the water and engaged directly with policymakers across the political spectrum. The initiative culminated in the presentation of a 73,647-signature petition to the New Zealand Parliament calling for an end to bottom trawling permits on the South Pacific high seas, stronger protection for seamount ecosystems and support for transitioning away from the practice. The project elevated marine ocean conservation on the national agenda, while also generating nearly 400 million global media impressions and 400 news articles. The Black Foils move into the top spot on the 2026 Season Impact League leaderboard.
Blair Tuke, Black Foils co-CEO and Live Ocean co-founder, said: “What Jono did is one of the greatest endurance feats of all time, but this was always more than just a swim, it was a platform to create change. Swim4TheOcean was one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I’ve ever been involved in and I’m so proud of what was achieved. We saw New Zealanders really come around this with a snowball of support, giving us a powerful platform to drive positive action for the ocean.”
Iona Neilson, SailGP Head of Impact, said: “SailGP’s Impact League continues to demonstrate what's possible when world-class athletes and teams apply the same competitive mindset to creating positive impact. Congratulations to the Black Foils and to every team across the championship. This year's projects have shown that sustainability is not a side initiative – it can be an integral part of what sporting excellence looks like.”
Second place was awarded to the Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team for tackling ocean pollution and social inequality by removing more than 8 tons of marine debris from Guanabara Bay ahead of the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix. The project employed 60-plus local fishermen at 500 percent above minimum wage, repurposed 10 F50 wingsheets as official World Surf League buoy anchors, recycled thousands of plastic zip ties into 500 new surf wax combs, educated 60 youth in ocean health STEM workshops and donated 90 redundant garments to disadvantaged young sailors.
The competition for third place produced the first tie in Impact League history between DS Automobiles SailGP Team France and Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank. Germany’s Beyond Sailing Program combined eDNA-based marine biodiversity research with youth education, using SailGP event data to inspire ocean advocates and advance conservation solutions. France’s Regen Ocean Farms project supported sustainable seaweed farming in Brazil to restore ecosystems, create local livelihoods and develop seaweed-based materials – including bioplastic components used on its F50 – to reduce the sport’s environmental footprint.
Alongside a dedicated charity partner, each SailGP team participates in the Impact League, delivering projects that address environmental protection, social inclusion and community impact. Teams are assessed against a robust framework designed to reward measurable outcomes, transparency and long-term change, creating healthy competition that accelerates innovation across the championship.
Additional Focus Area winners and the overall 2026 Season Impact League champion will be announced later this year.