World Sailing has published its new World Sailing Portrayal Guidelines 2026, a document based on the IOC Portrayal Guidelines 2026 Edition and designed to ensure fair, equal and respectful representation of athletes across media, official communications and digital channels. The guide is aimed at communications professionals, broadcasters, event organisers and member national authorities, with the goal of eliminating gender bias, balancing coverage and breaking down historical stereotypes in the way sailing is presented.
The document defines portrayal as the combination of language, images, voices, quality, quantity and prominence used to represent individuals or groups. It is not only about who appears in a news story, photograph or broadcast, but how they appear: the words, tone, context, framing, narrative and visibility. World Sailing therefore places communication as a tool to generate diverse role models, attract new audiences and strengthen a more respectful sporting culture.
Performance, technique and achievements before appearance
The central principle of the guide is that women’s, men’s and mixed sailing should receive equal importance in communications, coverage and imagery. The focus should be on performance, skill, tactics, equipment, preparation and sporting achievements, not on competitors’ appearance, bodies or private lives. The document also encourages sailing to show diversity across gender, race, ability, age, nationality, orientation and background.
Alexandra Rickham, World Sailing’s Director of Sustainability, said the launch of the guidelines represents “an important moment” for the sport. Rickham recalled that sailing has a history of mixed-gender competition and argued that the way the discipline is promoted should reflect “the true professionalism and athletic excellence” of all competitors. “These guidelines are not just about words and images; they are about fostering a culture of respect and equity that can inspire the next generation of sailors worldwide,” she said.
Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing in Marseille, France on 9 August, 2024. (Photo by World Sailing / Jean-Louis Carli)
Bias-free language, imagery and interviews
The recommendations move into concrete examples. World Sailing asks stakeholders to use gender-neutral language by default, avoid terms that infantilise adult athletes and replace expressions such as “sportsman”, “chairman” or “cameraman” with alternatives such as “sailor”, “athlete”, “official”, “chair”, “camera operator” or “spokesperson”. The guide also recommends not comparing women to men as the standard, avoiding phrases such as “sails like a man” and applying a simple test: flip the gender in the sentence to check whether it would sound strange or disrespectful if applied to a man.
In imagery, the criterion is summed up in a direct idea: sport appeal, not sex appeal. The federation calls for active and authentic photographs of sailors competing, starting, rounding marks, trimming sails, analysing strategy, working with coaches or taking part in ceremonies. It also recommends avoiding sexualised, passive images or frames focused on bodies, clothing or specific body parts. In interviews and commentary, the guide proposes questions centred on strategy, conditions, equipment, teamwork and preparation, while rejecting angles about appearance, family life or motherhood if they would not be asked in the same way of a man.
Balanced coverage throughout the season
Another relevant point is coverage planning. The guidelines recommend that women’s, men’s and mixed events receive regular and consistent exposure throughout the season, not only at major championships. They also propose reviewing articles, photos, videos, newsletters, expert quotes and profiles to detect gender imbalances, ensuring comparable production quality in cameras, commentary and graphics, and avoiding women’s events being placed repeatedly in low-visibility slots or treated as warm-up acts for men’s events.
Practical implementation will be key. World Sailing sets out minimum actions for classes and member national authorities, including adopting a pre-publication checklist, updating media guidance, building databases of sailors, coaches, officials and experts, carrying out annual audits, adapting data systems for names and pronouns where relevant, and providing training on inclusive language and portrayal. The federation will work with partners and stakeholders to integrate these guidelines into upcoming major championships and international regattas, including Olympic qualification towards LA28, the World Sailing Championships 2027 and World Sailing Special Events.
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