When we say that our vision of racing does not rely on funding top riders, one question always comes up: So how do top riders sustain themselves on the World Tour?
The point is not to blindly support a system that doesn’t work. Today’s windsurf market is simply different from the past. It is smaller, more fragmented, and it’s natural that the resources available to brands and athletes are no longer the same as before.
When people lose interest in a sport, it becomes difficult to sustain a professional level using only company budgets. The perspective changes if more people get involved: more practice, more participation in regattas, more attention to what happens on the racing scene. A larger, engaged community not only strengthens the sport itself, but also generates the economic resources needed to support top riders. When people actively participate in the sport and follow the racing scene, the system naturally becomes stronger and more sustainable.
In our view, the solution exists: stop introducing new disciplines that further divide an already small market. Every time a variant is added to try to increase interest, the community’s energy becomes fragmented and racing loses cohesion. Often, these initiatives are driven by business opportunities, which is natural, but this approach can unintentionally split the community into smaller and smaller niches, and many of those people end up leaving sailing.
And this revolution must start from the bottom, because we already tried from the top — and it didn’t work.
At the same time, it is essential to show more empathy toward athletes today, recognizing their efforts and challenges rather than focusing on meaningless comparisons. Every athlete has value, even if they are not yet widely recognized. From those less visible athletes, talent can emerge unexpectedly. Giving trust to everyone is not idealism: it is a concrete way to help the whole system grow. Brands can play an important role here: by supporting athletes in a way that makes them feel their effort matters, they give them the motivation to continue improving and to stay committed.
For decades, the fin has held everything together: the number of participants, the regattas, the entry of young riders, and the way the sport itself has developed. It is the discipline that, more than any other, has proven over time that it can work.
Our goal is simple: to build the future on what has already proven to hold up over time. In windsurfing, this certainty has a clear name: the fin.