Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock MP visited Weymouth & Portland last week to meet members of the British Sailing Team and see first-hand the world-class facilities.

The visit provided an opportunity to showcase Weymouth & Portland’s important role at the home of British Sailing, as well as the progress being made by the British Sailing Team on the journey towards the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

During the visit, the Minister met British Sailing Performance Director Mark Robinson, alongside Lily Devine (Performance Support Lead) and Adam May (Chief Technical Director), and spent time with some of Britain’s leading sailors.

Current world and european champions Martin Wrigley and Bettine Harris were joined by Tokyo Olympic silver medallists John Gimson and Anna Burnet.

The Minister toured the new British Sailing Team facilities, seeing how the venue supports athletes and staff in their preparation for major international competitions.

The visit followed the RYA’s close work with UK Sport and provided an opportunity to discuss the environment in which British sailors operate, including the impact of Schengen travel arrangements on athletes and support staff travelling to Europe for training and competition.

Mark Robinson, RYA Performance Director said: “It was fantastic to welcome Minister Peacock to Weymouth & Portland and give her an insight into what makes this such an important home for British Sailing. Having the opportunity to showcase our athletes, our people and facilities directly to Government was incredibly valuable as we inch closer to LA28."

Weymouth & Portland has a long-standing place in British sporting history, having hosted the sailing events for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Today, it remains the home of British Sailing providing a world-class training environment as athletes build towards LA 2028 and the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and earlier this month the iQFOiL World Championships (Olympic windsurfing) were held on the waters. 

The visit highlighted the breadth of expertise, talent and the continued ambition of British Sailing to perform at the highest level on the world stage.