SailGP, by adding a competition element, has shown humans can change and that sport can help to change them
If you want sportspeople to make greener choices, there’s a simple way to do it: make it a competition. “Athletes really want to win things,” says Fiona Morgan, who has helped to create one of the most sustainably minded sporting tournaments in the world.
SailGP, of which Morgan is chief purpose officer, was launched four years ago to be the F1 of the sailing world – a fast-paced, high-drama racing circuit where Olympic legends such as Ben Ainslie and Heather Mills drive the fastest boats in the world, “flying” them across the water on hydrofoil stalks within easy sight of shoreline spectators. It has reinvented sport by having its sailors compete on and off the water: alongside its race fixtures, the sailors vie in an equally valuable Impact League, which measures the actions they are making to mitigate their environmental impact and innovate for a carbon-free future.