How the Rolex SailGP Championship is racing towards a greener future

The Rolex SailGP Championship is a high-stakes affair, with 12 identical F50 foiling catamarans racing at speeds up to 100 km/hour, making it a must-watch sporting league for any racing fan.

But beyond conducting their Grand Prix on the water, one major thing sets SailGP apart from other racing sports: In this league, sustainability and environmental impact are part of the competition.

Meet the SailGP Impact League. Already in its fourth campaign, the Impact League is a season-long intra-league competition that rewards teams for making sustainable choices that both protect the Earth and make sailing more inclusive.

• The Impact League runs parallel to the actual on-water competition, so it doesn’t affect championship standings, but it’s still extremely competitive.

By creating the Impact League, SailGP is pioneering change in the sports industry, leading by example to inspire fans to make environmentally conscious choices.

As Chief Purpose Officer Fiona Morgan said, “Sport has this power to talk to fans like no one else. And if we can educate them to be kind of imperfect climate activists, or even understand their carbon footprint, or even do one thing differently, we will help change the world.”

Here’s how it works. The sport of sailing is sustainable in nature, as the catamarans are powered by wind. However, it takes a lot of preparation to ensure each team is ready to race, from transportation to and from Grand Prix sites to the meals that feed each squad.

• That’s why at each Grand Prix, the 12 competing teams are awarded points in the following sustainability categories: clean energy, waste and single plastic use, travel and accommodation, and food at the event.

• Additionally, teams are rewarded for conceptual sustainability choices, like using your voice to engage with fans on environmental issues, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, participating in sustainability training courses, and working on high-impact projects.

At time of publishing, NorthStar (representing Canada) is leading the Impact League, which Emirates Great Britain won last season. For their last campaign, Emirates GBR partnered with a renewable energy provider to add solar panels to its team base, which generated more than enough power to keep their squad and many others afloat. Now that’s how you change the game.

We sat down with Emirates GBR strategist and Rolex Testimonee Hannah Mills at the Mubadala New York SailGP to discuss “walking the walk” while “talking the talk” when it comes to protecting our planet.

• While competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Mills was alarmed by how much plastic she saw floating in the water during races — which inspired her to combat wasteful single-use plastic in her professional life.

• Today, Mills calls the Impact League’s mission “powerful” as each team is making active changes in local communities as SailGP travels around the world.

Fancy supporting one of the only sporting competitions that takes care of Mother Earth? Then tune in to SailGP’s next race, the two-day spectacle at the Rolex Switzerland Grand Prix, this weekend in Geneva. You can catch all the action on TSN or in the SailGP app.