Interview with FIV president Francesco Ettorre between Olympics, youth, America’s Cup

Interview with Italian Sailing Federation President Francesco Etorre

Italian Sailing Federation President Francesco Etorre prepares to run for his third term, in the year our national team will return to the water for the Paris Olympics, Marseille for sailing. There will be an Olympic gold medal to defend and more medals to try to win, to close out a four-year period where Italian sailing is reaping good results, even beyond the Nacra 17.

In addition to the interview below, don’t miss tomorrow’s presentation of the Italian Olympic team, which with Maggie Pescetto and Riccardo Pianosi has almost completed internal selections, waiting to see if 49er and 470 mixed will be able to snatch qualification.

With President Francesco Ettorre, we talked about the Azzurri’s Olympic chances and much more, about para sailing, youth sailing, Optimist and the America’s Cup.

Francesco Ettorre, how many medals could we win at the Marseille 2024 Olympics?

Preparing for an Olympics is a long, complex journey, and that is why when we talk about results we have to refer to how we got to the Olympics and therefore with what potential. If we evaluate all this, we are confident that we have a very strong team with the right motivation and excellent preparation, in all respects, that we can definitely do well. Obviously the Olympic climate and some specific Medal Series formats will be elements that can make a difference.”

What are the most likely medals in your opinion?

It is always difficult to make predictions, much less at the Olympics, but the excellent results at the world and European championships give us hope. Never before have we been competitive in multiple classes, and this does not come from personal evaluations, but from results over these 4 years. The proof of this is the 8 Olympic cards won so far.

49er and 470… Will we be able to qualify the nation for the Hyeres Olympic Week (April 20-28), the last useful call for ours ?

The Last Chance Regatta in Hyeres will be the last chance to win an Olympic card for the 470Mix classes and in the 49er. An all-new format that will involve only those nations that do not yet have an Olympic pass in those specific classes. Therefore, it will be a no-appeal, in-or-out challenge. I am convinced that the latest good performances offered at the respective World Championships by our athletes can open up the possibility of qualification for us. Complex but possible operation. The Federation’s support is maximum, all the more so at this stage.

How much will the “field” factor count in the Olympics, given that Marseille is practically around the corner?

Race course knowledge for all the top crews in the world is very specific and yet global. Today the best crews travel the world and hold training sessions and regattas year-round, and little-known race courses no longer exist. Certainly the proximity of Marseille helps us especially in logistics and in scheduling more training sessions, to become more aware of the condition of the race course, to make familiar a location that is turning into the beautiful Olympic venue.

How did you manage to find a balance in the management of athletes that was beneficial to both the Olympic teams and Luna Rossa Team?

We are in front of the two major sailing events, and so from day one we felt that having athletes who were involved in the two courses required collaboration. The Relationship with Max Sirena has always been first and foremost one of friendship and admiration for the work that has been done, and so when we got together to talk about closer collaboration, the common ideas allowed for everything we are accomplishing starting with the Next Generation Foil Academy powereb by Luna Rossa.

The priority on our side is obviously the Olympics, but we know how tantalizing it is to be able to participate in the America’s Cup. Experience in a prestigious Cup team like Luna Rossa can only enhance each athlete’s skills, but it was equally important to know how to manage the two courses, energies and specific focus. I’ve always been certain that all the experiences that each of them is having with the Team will also be useful on the Olympic path.”

Don’t you, Francesco Ettorre, think it is time to have a single Olympic foiling?

The decision on Olympic disciplines is a very complex issue that holds sway at World Sailing meetings every year. Certainly the AGMs have been calling for stability in the Olympic classes for years, because it is too difficult to keep changing every one or two Olympics, and this puts a great strain on the whole industry and primarily for the athletes. Like any modification process it should involve several factors, including the balance between tradition and innovation, accessibility of equipment, and overall representativeness, but choices have not always been made in this direction.

We as FIV do not want to be spectators of this change and from the beginning we have been protagonists, just think of our Next Generation Foil Academy powered by Luna Rossa that has now become a model exported abroad. We are open to new opportunities to promote sailing in all its forms, but it is important to assess the impacts of any changes.”

You are very attentive to this issue and promote, together with IBSA, the Para Sailing Academy. What needs to change for sailing to become Paralympic again?

The issue of para sailing and its reintegration within the Paralympic program is important and deserves attention. The Federation has been working to support this gamble to bring back para sailing, but certainly this is a decision that involves first and foremost the IOC and especially the International Paralympic Committee, and none of the 33 Sports Disciplines that had made the request to re-enter has been accepted. There is a problem with the overall numbers of these events, which is one of the main issues that consistently leads to the reduction of athletes and officials for both the Olympics and the Paralympics.

We have not given up and we will not give up. Ours is a project that regardless continues seamlessly. We could say that it started a few years ago, when the Italian Olympic Classes Championship was also contested by Para Sailing classes. Since these are no longer part of the Paralympics, nothing has changed for us. Because for us they have an indispensable role of sports and social relevance. The Para Sailing Academy that has been moving to our area for two years now represents a vehicle for inclusiveness. It was easy to find a commonality of purpose and values with IBSA, which is actively helping us along this path. We have created an international hub on our soil, and every opportunity for us becomes useful to remember how this sport is the most inclusive.

Last year, for the first time, the Inclusive Development Program was held in Cagliari. It was a world first, and we immediately jumped at the opportunity to host and organize it. We will continue to work to promote and support para sailing at all levels, and we will lobby for Paralympic sailing to be reintroduced into the Paralympic Games in the future.

Will Optimist continue to be the class of choice for younger people, or are there other avenues?

The Optimist remains an essential class for young sailors, offering an excellent introduction to sailing and a solid foundation for skill development. We will continue to support Optimist while not forgetting other youth classes, seeking to provide young athletes with the best possible opportunities to grow and progress in our sport.

The Optimist class is a world reference not only because of what has been achieved over the years with world and European titles, but also because the Italian ( AICO ) class is the largest in the world. The Optimist constitutes a pool for all Italian sailing, as do other classes for the same age group. But we have a certainty that we are demonstrating on the ground: we want to be ready to best convey sailing, support it and make it a sport for all.”

What is the key to avoid youth dispersion in the transition between “junior” and Olympic classes

We always make a big deal about the issue, about drop out in all sports, in fact we forget that this is an evidence of all disciplines with different ages of drop out. The Federation started by considering that its youth level is in recent years certainly leading in numbers of successes and especially in distribution of classes in which it wins. To properly follow up, we have built, for the past four years, a pathway that could help athletes moving from youth classes to Olympic classes, called Development & Under, with dedicated coaches and with specific pathways, before making the big leap into the overall sector.

How many FIV members are there today?

The membership numbers have been growing strongly for the past 8 years consistently and systematically, both in the promotional and sports parts. The year 2023 was an all-time record year with a significant increase bringing the number of card-carrying members to 157,000. The growth is the result of the remarkable promotional action carried out with National projects, with the synergistic work of the Zonal Committees and that of our affiliated societies.

The school world is an indispensable part of the promotion and as of this year has been enriched by the STEAM project with the Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry. To this we can add the Vela Day customary event of opening the clubs to the whole community.”

Based (also) on this, are you, Francesco Ettorre, satisfied with the contributions allocated to FIV by Sport and Health (€5,655,585)?

“My plan from day one has been to make the Federation increasingly independent of public contributions. Over the past 8 years, the Federation has increased public contributions by more than 35 percent, but at the same time it has worked to ensure that the Communication and Marketing department can generate resources. In fact, after only a few years, the Federation’s budget went from 6,000,000.00 to the current 2024 budget of over 11,000,000.00. Work that places it firmly among the best Federations.

The figure is known and conspicuous because the IVF has become in recent years a consistent, reliable entity with a strong propensity for development. This allows us to plan so many high-level and promotional activities. The relationship with Sport and Health, as well as the relationship with CONI shows that we are working well.

Edited by Mauro Giuffrè and Eugenio Ruocco