SAILING HANNAH

After the World Sailing Inclusion Championships in Oman, a number of people asked for the words I shared at the closing ceremony.

The week had been challenging, emotional, chaotic at times, and deeply meaningful. Standing in front of the sailors, coaches, volunteers, officials, and hosts at the end of it felt like the right moment to say out loud what this event represented – and why it could not stop there.

So here it is, shared as it was delivered.

2025 World Sailing Inclusion Championships – Closing Ceremony

Hannah Stodel

Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, volunteers, friends – and most importantly, our extraordinary sailors,

As the sun sets on this unforgettable week here in Oman, we are not simply closing a regatta. We are closing a chapter that will echo far beyond these race courses.

The first World Sailing Inclusion Championships has been emotional, exhausting, chaotic at times, beautiful at others and absolutely limitless in spirit. And I could not be prouder of what we created together.

On behalf of World Sailing, my deepest thanks to the Sultanate of Oman, Oman Sail, and the Barceló Mussanah Resort. You did far more than host an event, you gave this championship a home. Our sailors felt it in every welcome, every smile, every moment of support.

To Joe, Maryam, Feras, and the entire Oman Sail team – your belief in this championship and in Para Inclusive Sailing never wavered, even when the pressure was intense and the obstacles felt endless. You stood shoulder to shoulder with us. You didn’t step back, you stepped in. And because of that, this championship stands tall today.

To Stoggs – Adrian Stoggall, and our exceptional team of ITOs: you were the calm in the chaos. The steady hands that protected fairness, integrity, and the very heart of competition when it mattered most. Thank you for carrying that responsibility with such strength.

To the World Sailing team – Matt, Leo, and Hannah 2 , a few weeks ago, I genuinely believed I might have to carry this alone. Instead, you carried it with me. You grafted. You problem-solved. You fire-fought. You lifted athletes when they were tired, and you lifted me when I was exhausted. Floodlights, heat, impossible hours – and not once did you flinch. That kind of commitment doesn’t just deliver an event. It builds a movement.

To our World Sailing coaches, Simon and Moxey – thank you for the quiet, powerful work you did every single day. For believing in sailors when they doubted themselves. For unlocking confidence, not just performance.

And now – to our sailors. The heart of everything.

You came to Oman from every corner of the world. Many of you fought battles just to be here; funding battles, visa battles, health battles, personal battles. And yet you arrived with courage, determination, laughter, and fire.

Some of you raced your first international start line this week. Some of you chased your fiftieth. Every single one of you mattered equally.

This week we saw courage under pressure. Tactical brilliance. Grit. Disappointment. Triumph. And some of the purest sailing I have ever witnessed. Medals tell part of the story – but showing up tells the real one. And every one of you showed up. Not just for yourself, but for something far bigger than any one result.

Because this championship is not just an event.

It is a statement.

It is a declaration that Para Inclusive Sailing is no longer waiting quietly on the sidelines. We are rising together. We are ready to be counted. And we are ready to bring real value to the Paralympic Movement.

In seven days’ time, when we submit the final Paralympic bid at midnight on the 15th of December, that is not the finish line.

It is a checkpoint.

Submitting a bid does not mean the fight is over. It means the responsibility grows. It means we must keep turning up. Keep gathering data. Keep building events. Keep supporting athletes. Keep developing nations. Keep proving – not once, but again and again, that this sport belongs on the world’s biggest stage.

This week, here in Oman, your spark lit a beacon.

A beacon that Para Inclusive Sailing is united.
A beacon that we are ready.
A beacon that we are resilient.

But beacons only matter if they stay lit. And that light now belongs to all of us.

As we look ahead to next year’s championship, and to the growing calendar of Para Inclusive events across the world, let us not drift back into our own corners. Let us stay connected. Let us share knowledge. Let us open doors for new sailors, new coaches, new nations. Let us fight for opportunity with the same intensity we fought for these start lines.

Congratulations to our medalists – your performances were extraordinary. But tonight, every sailor is a champion of something far bigger than a podium. You are builders. You are proof. You are the reason this movement will not be stopped.

To our volunteers, officials, classifiers, coaches, partners, and supporters – you didn’t just deliver a championship. You delivered momentum.

Travel home safely. Carry what this week gave you. Talk about it. Share it. Protect it. And keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

The future of Para Inclusive Sailing is bright – not because of one event, one decision, or one bid…

But because of all of you.

Thank you.