How Putin's war against Ukraine is affecting sailing: "Don't condemn the people who are suffering just like us"

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is not without consequences for German and international sailing. Reactions range from shock and horror to swift and far-reaching calls for a boycott to efforts to continue to value and support sailing and its athletes as "bridge builders" that unite people.

Shortly after the Russian army invaded Ukraine in violation of international law, the German Sailing Association (DSV) was the first to react to the aggression. In a statement, DSV President Mona Küppers referred, among other things, to the Nord Stream Race organised by the Russian St. Petersburg Yacht Club, in which the winners of the national sailing leagues in Russia, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany take part once a year. Mona Küppers said: "The Nord Stream Race, a long-distance regatta along the Nord Stream pipeline, which was launched on the initiative of the Russian energy company Gazprom and the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, is a PR measure from the perspective of the Executive Committee. In light of current political developments and the German government's decision to stop the approval of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, we do not believe that German participation in the Nord Stream Race is appropriate. We have called on the associations cooperating with the energy company Gazprom to rethink their position and withdraw their sponsorship of Gazprom."

The regatta is organised by the Hamburg-based Konzeptwerft shipyard, which has a contractual relationship with the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Together with Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga GmbH (DSBL), the Konzeptwerft makers are also the organisers of the German sailing league, which counted the energy company Gazprom among its sponsors last year. This means that the team around Konzeptwerft and DSBL Managing Director Oliver Schwall is affected in several ways. Regarding the Nord Stream Race, Schwall said: "Since the start of gas transport in 2011, the participants have been sailing along Gas Pipeline 1. We ask for your understanding that we cannot speculate on whether the race can take place this year in the current situation." It is unlikely that the race will take place.

"The events are a nightmare"

However, according to Schwall, the Bundesliga is "not jeopardised". After initial discussions with clubs and partners, Schwall said: "There will be one sponsor missing. That's a shame, but it won't have any impact. The league season will go ahead as planned." At the same time, Schwall recalled the "unifying role of sailing" and said: "The current events in Ukraine are terrible and cannot be justified by anything. We have maintained close and friendly relations with Russian clubs and athletes for many years. We have met great people at numerous sailing events such as the Sailing Champions League, the Nord Stream Race, World and European Championships and Kiel Week." This is another reason why Schwall appeals "not to condemn the people who, like us, are suffering from the current escalation and to disapprove of it just because they live, work or play sport on the supposedly wrong side of the border, despite the terrible events".

The reactions from sailors on social networks around the world are varied, but broadly supportive of the people in the invaded Ukraine. There is a sea of expressions of solidarity, including calls for Russian sailors to be banned and calls to boycott Russian events. And there are courageous public contributions such as that of the outstanding Russian mini-skipper Irina Gracheva, who wrote on the first day of the war under the heading "I am against war": "For many years now, the actions of the Russian government have been shameful, painful and frightening. Today's events are like a nightmare. And there is not a single person around me who would support this crime." Those in the West who are now calling for Russian athletes to be banned must realise that such a ban would also affect many committed sailors like Irina Gracheva.

"Our hearts are broken"

The invasion has also affected a group of Ukrainian Opti sailors who are currently preparing for a regatta with their coaches in Valencia. They have made their appeal "Stop the war!" public because they are worried about their families and friends back home: "Our team of young sailors is in Valencia and is preparing for the big international regatta 'Opti Orange'. But our hearts are broken. We are at a training camp and are thinking about our parents and relatives who are being attacked in Ukraine. We cannot remain silent about this. We are sure that the entire civilised European world shares the misfortune of the free people in Ukraine. We ask for maximum dissemination and support. Please stop this crazy madness! We write this with all our support for our relatives."

A publication by UK Sailmakers under the headline "An issue bigger than sailmaking" on the first day of the war was also moving and representative of many of those affected: "For eight years UK Sailmakers has had a sail loft in Kherson, Ukraine, run by a father and son team with a small but dedicated team supporting their families back home. This morning the airport in Kherson was bombed as Vladimir Putin's illegal forces à la Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938 invaded the sovereign country of Ukraine. Forget about making sails! We are worried about the safety of our friends, their families and all citizens of Kherson. And for the overall freedom of the Ukrainian nation. This morning the group received the following email from Team UK Sailmakers Ukraine: 'The campaign has started. I don't know if I'll be able to send messages in the future. Thank you to everyone from my father and me. If you don't see any more messages, then rest assured that the best step of our lives was joining the UK Sailmakers family.'We very much hope that this is not the last we hear from Alexander. The free world must not tolerate this action by Russia. UK Sailmakers stands behind NATO and all other countries who oppose Putin's illegal and immoral actions."

Stefan Voss, who runs UK Sailmakers Germany as equal Managing Director with Dirk Manno, remains in contact with the family in Ukraine via a messenger service: "They are still doing well at the moment, while at the same time there is fighting for a bridge nearby. We will support them in any way we can. This applies to all our lofts, which have pledged help on a broad basis. We are also ready to take them in." Anastasiya Winkel: Olympic sailor in distress

470 sailor Anastasiya Winkel is very worried in Kiel. The native Ukrainian, who was granted German citizenship with her naturalisation certificate on 21 March 2021 and sailed to sixth place at the Olympic Games in Japan with Luise Wanser, reports in an NDR interview about her family's recent visit to Ukraine. Her mother and grandmother live in the particularly endangered region of Luhansk. In the NDR interview, Anastasiya Winkel describes the situation there, her fears and worries. As an Olympic athlete, she says: "We athletes are used to not drawing boundaries. Everyone gets on well. You could never have imagined that it would come to this." Click here for the interview with NDR (please click!).