"WORLD SAILING IN CRISI" ARTICULO DE MICHELE TOGNOZZI PUBLICADO EN FAREVELA THE SAILING MEDIA - ARTICULO PUBLICADO EN WWW.MASMAR.NET EL DIA 11 09 2018
Articulo publicado en www.masmar.net el 11 09 2010
http://www.masmar.net/esl/Vela/M%C3%A1s-Vela/%E2%80%9CWordl-Sailing-in-crisi%E2%80%9D-Art%C3%ADculo-de-Michele-Tognozzi-publicado-en-FAREVELA-THE-SAILING-MEDIA
“World Sailing in crisi” Artículo de Michele Tognozzi publicado en FAREVELA THE SAILING MEDIA
11 septiembre 2018 19:32:57
El pasado 6 de Septiembre el digital FAREVELA THE SAILING MEDIA público un artículo firmado por Michele Tognozzi titulado “World Sailing in crisi”
En el mismo, Michele Tognozzi publica en pdf la carta que John Alexanders envío a todos los regatistas y sus Federaciones Nacionales sobre lo que está pasando en la W.S.
El enlace del artículo es: https://farevela.net/2018/09/06/world-sailing-in-crisi-attacco-alle-politiche-del-ceo-andy-hunt/
Cuyo texto transcribo al español, y que abre una serie de incógnitas sobre nuestro deporte, y por el que nos enteramos que un representante de la Vela Española en la WS ha dimitido, cuestión de la que no hemos tenido ninguna noticia por parte de nuestra Federación Nacional.
J.F.M.J.O.
World Sailing en crisis, ataque a las políticas financieras del CEO Andy Hunt
By Michele Tognozzi
Sep 6, 2018
Londres, Reino Unido: tiempos difíciles para World Sailing, la que fuera la federación mundial, parece haberse convertido ahora en un comité de negocios dirigido por el poderoso (pero CONTESTADO) CEO inglés Andy Hunt. Ayer la noticia de la renuncia del número dos y director comercial de WS Hugh Chambers, que sigue a pocos días la renuncia del español Carlos de Beltrán, director técnico y offshore. Cabe señalar que Chambers, como Hunt, no tiene experiencia en navegación personal y su salida (parece haber tomado el relevo de la federación británica de automovilismo) aparece como un escape del barco que se hunde.
Fuentes bien informadas y documentadas afirman que World Sailing se encuentra en una grave crisis financiera, agravada por la gestión de Andy Hunt y el actual presidente Kim Andersen, quien, como recordó, había derrotado a Carlo Croce en las elecciones de noviembre de 2016.
La batalla por las clases olímpicas para Tokio 2020 y París 2024 ha puesto nerviosos al lobby y los aparatos y al final han quedado todos un poco insatisfecho. El caso contra los monopolios en la vela olímpica, subestimado en sus inicios por el consejo de World Sailing, y 'en su lugar llegó a la Comisión Europea y AGCM, Autoridad Garante de la Competencia y el Mercado con sede en Roma, que llevó a cabo las entrevistas (muy detallado en lo que afecta al navegar a Vela) a los emisarios de WS y está procediendo con las investigaciones, potencialmente capaces de arrinconar a la WS y a algunas clases monopolísticas.
La gestión Hunt, que ha tratado de transformar una federación deportiva internacional basada sobre un deporte de participación con una rica tradición, en un deporte de espectadores administrado por un estrecho Comité, rechazado por un grupo de “regatistas preocupados”, con importante participación en el Consejo, y en las Federaciones Internacionales.
“Devolver el gobierno de la WS a los regatistas y a sus representantes” es el eslogan del grupo que se propone devolver la gestión de la WS a los regatistas y a sus representantes. De este grupo llego un análisis financiero de la gestión Hunt, que explica el sistema de “cajas” chinas
LA discrepancia interna en la WS está creciendo y para la próxima conferencia de Sarasota (a principios de noviembre) se anuncia una dura batalla. El análisis financiero firmado por el empresario australiano John Alexander, que circula en los últimos días entre las FFNN saca a la luz el sistema "Hunt". También se debe tener en cuenta que Andy Hunt, que recibe un salario de aproximadamente 200,000 libras por año de WS, tiene un récord financiero sin precedentes cuando era CEO del Comité Olímpico Británico pertenecientes a World Sailing, acompañada de una rica documentación y análisis financiero.
PDF de la Carta de John Alexander a los regatistas.John-Alexanders-Letter-to-Sailors
"WS es una pequeña empresa en términos financieros, no necesita gerentes bien pagados y ubicaciones caras. Necesita ser conducido como el negocio que es y por personas que saben cómo manejar cada nicho y apariencia, teniendo en cuenta el escenario de patrocinio mundial... ", dice Alexander, especificando cómo el mundo de la navegación no necesita un comité de negocios ejecutivos pagados pero entusiastas que operan facilitando las necesidades de los REGATISTAS y su participación y capacitación a todos los niveles.
World Sailing, que emplea a 25 personas a tiempo completo, ya está operando los primeros cortes y la partida de Hugh Chambers, como se mencionó, parece mucho al abandono del barco que se hunde ....
CARTA DE JOHN ALEXANDERS:
5 September 2018
To World Sailing, all Sailors and their National Authorities
World sailing - Publicly Available Finances and our Service Organisation
Dear Interested Sailors,
I am like you, I sail for pleasure and invest in our great sport, it is as much a major part of my
life as family and work. In the times past, I have sailed professionally, and run my own
company in the business of sailing, these days, I race our offshore yacht around the World.
Sailing defines me as a person.
Having recently joined the Finn class I learned about World Sailing, our pinnacle governing
body and I asked myself, what do they do for me and my fellow sailors? It is not apparent on
first sight.
Having a daughter whom is a Tennis professional and seen how I personally had to support
her training, development, coaching and travel from the age of twelve, I have come to learn
about sports administration, elitism and how the "Business of Sport" has nothing to do with
the athlete but that of media exposure, sponsorship income and the construction of global
sports administration bodies whom see the sports participants and eventually the sport itself
as servants to their ambitions and the sponsors who become the customer.
World Sailing in its current form has become one such body, it collects money from its
members, sponsors, the IOC and spends it and more with a very small % invested in to its
constituents, us the sailors. We have a CEO with an annual salary that is approximately equal
to all the member nations contributions put together.
Office facility
Recently the executive under the approval of the board entered a financial arrangement to relocate
from the centre of sailing in Southampton, UK (GBP 83,880 PA) to a new facility in the
centre of London (GBP 370,000 PA if read correctly) at a considerable one-of cost of GBP
500,000 not including capital expenditure, plus entering a long-term lease which is FOUR
times greater than the previous lease. This is a significant and questionable decision and
stretches the limited financial resources. World Sailing have committed to GBP 3,330,000 of
lease commitments it cannot walk away from - this is an increase of GBP 250,000 per annum.
The 2018 budget has total lease costs at GBP 570,000.
World sailing is a "Service Organisation" set up to serve the interest of us, the sailors.
Management
The business of World Sailing is headed up by a person who does not and has not sailed that
we know of, the same for the chief commercial officer.
Looking to the annual accounts and various reports and statements published on the World
Sailing web site we can get only but a small window into how our money is being spent.
The published CREDO for World Sailing is
• Promotion of the sport internationally
• Management of the sport within the Olympics
• Development of the rules and regulations of racing
• Training of judges, umpires and administration staff
• Development of the sport worldwide
• Representing of sailors in all matters worldwide
This clearly is a service organisation for us the sailors and our sport?
Employment
World Sailing employs 25 people. 14 in administration and marketing, 11 in activities
dedicated to race sailing and technical, only 1 in training and development. What does that
say about development of the sport??
The cost of employing this number of staff in 2017 was GBP 1,611,085
GBP 200,000 is paid to our CEO (whom is not a signatory to the declaration of interests),
removing this puts the average cost of employment per person at GBP 59,000 or $USD
80,000.
The cost of employment has risen GBP 220,000 between 2016 and 2017. The FORECAST wage
bill for 2018 is GBP 2,250,000 this is an increase of 40% on 2016 - see attached budget.
Income
World sailing received GBP 11,700,000 from the IOC in 2016, this is their primary source of
income.
Approximately GBP 307,000 comes from subscriptions
In 2017, there was a budget of GBP 2,510,000 for sponsorship outside of the IOC. Actual
income was GBP 1,840,000 a deficit of GBP 670,00 or 27%.
Forecast sponsorship income for 2018 is 1,991,000 - it would be very good to see if we have
that in cash receipts and or contracts.
Profit and Loss
2017
Initial budget deficit GBP 2,116,242
Revised budget deficit GBP 4,252,000
Actual Loss GBP 5,239,000
2017 saw a 100% increase in deficit and member funds
2018 Forecast is GBP 3,384,000 deficit - what is it 3/4 way through the year and what is
revised estimate?
Governance
2017 GBP 1,111,000
2018 Forecast GBP 770,000
Why are we spending 50% of forecast income on this?
Investment
The attached 2018 investment plan sets out the following:
• Re-instate para sailing in 2024
• Sustainability program manager and commission
• Event staffing with IOC 2020 agenda
• Commercial and marketing team to deliver on commercial, marketing and media plan
• Continued growth in training and development for both ENP and PDP to support plans
from CA's
• Redevelopment of website
• Research, data and analysis to provide a better fact base for the sport
• International relations
• Relocation of executive office.
Where is development of sailors as juniors, transition to teenagers and then adults and
retention along the way?
Summary
World sailing is a business that is conducting its affairs and taking decisions which will in the
very near future will deplete its cash reserves. Decisions are being made to increase its
overhead and it is operating more akin to a corporation than an organising authority for yacht
racing.
It is dependent now on raising an equal amount of sponsorship money as that of which it
receives from the IOC. This is a good and healthy objective. However, it cannot and should not
be allowed to enter significant cost increases without having the sponsorship deals in place
with positive cash flows.
The business needs to be operated with a "Balanced Budget" and its executive are not doing
this. The business is unsustainable.
The IOC by the fact that they contribute GBP 12,000,000 every four years has significant
undue influence on world sailing. World Sailing needs to get out from under this.
Olympic sailing need not and should not be the pinnacle sport for World sailing but a part of it
- Golf, Tennis and many other sports see it merely a part of the mix.
Recommendation
We as sailors need to know now how World Sailing accounts stand today against the forecast,
what cash is left - this needs to be requested by an NMA as per item 91 of the constitution.
We need to see where they stand.
We need to question how the Board and Council have allowed such excessive growth in
expenditure to happen in such a short period. The executive appear to have taken absolute
control - is this in line with Board Charter? We need accountability, we need sailors at the
helm.
A motion needs to be sent to World Sailing to call an extraordinary general meeting to address
this matter.
At this point, we did not start well, and we are deciding to take a blinder to the lay line in hope
of a big shift, when we get close to the top mark, we see boat after boat going around and we
realise our mistake... We could tack back in, cover our losses and chip away for a good result.
We do have time now to correct things and some cash to do it.
An Ivory Tower does not generate income and there are only 26 employees, my construction
company, which I recently exited, runs double that from a portable cabin.
John Alexander,
6931 Channel Highway, Gardners Bay, Tasmania, Australia 7112