Warnemünde Week has gained an internationally recognised expert for the vacant position of overall race director. Pinar Coşkuner Genç will take over the management of the regatta week, bringing with her extensive experience from Olympic sailing. The Turkish woman was responsible for the Olympic sailing competitions off Marseille last year as the chief race officer. Her appointment marks a significant step in the further professionalisation of Warnemünde Week, according to the organisers. For Coşkuner Genç herself, returning to Warnemünde, where she was on the jury ten years ago, is "a bit like coming home".
Early sailing career and competitions
Coşkuner Genç started sailing at the age of five. Her competitive career began in 1989 at the Istanbul Sailing Club in the Cadet class. From 1990, she switched to the Olympic 470 class and sailed in the Turkish national sailing team until 1997, taking part in world, European and Mediterranean championships. After a break, she returned to the regatta circuit in 2005 and sailed in the Pirate and Dragon classes.
Promotion as race director and official
Parallel to her active sailing career, Coşkuner Genç developed into a sought-after sailing referee and race organiser. She has been working internationally as an umpire since 1994. Her expertise has taken her to the biggest sailing events in the world:
- Paralympic Games 2012: At the Games in London, she was the first Turkish sailing referee to officiate at a Paralympic event.
- Olympic Games: She was part of the race management team at the Tokyo 2020 Games and was appointed as the first female Principal Race Officer for the sailing competitions in Marseille for the Paris 2024 Games.
- Major events: She acted as a referee at Kiel Week 2016 and 2022.
Leading roles in sailing organisations
She also transferred her management skills to the management level of sailing organisations:
- Turkish Sailing Federation: She was president of the referee centre and headed the sailing division of the association for people with physical disabilities.
- EUROSAF: She was the first female Vice President of the European Sailing Federation (EUROSAF) from 2016 to 2017 and was elected President in April 2025.
- World Sailing: She chaired the Regions and Development Committee of the World Sailing Association.
Professional career
Outside of sailing, Pınar Coşkuner Genç has turned her maritime passion into a career. She is the owner of Sailor Denizcilik, a maritime company in Istanbul, where she is an experienced professional representing shipyards and companies in the sailing sector, including J-Boats and Facnor headsail furling systems. She is a graduate of an American high school and an economist from Istanbul University with a Master's degree from the EU, is married and a mother of two.
Her multilingualism - in addition to her mother tongue, she speaks fluent English, Italian and German - is seen as an important factor for international communication.
Outlook for the 88th Warnemünde Week
Her extensive network in the international sailing scene will now also benefit the Warnemünde Week in order to attract further top-class events to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Ralf Bergel, Chairman of Warnemünde Week, is delighted with the successful engagement: "Pinar will further strengthen the international reputation of Warnemünde Week. We are looking forward to working with her and will coordinate with her in the coming days to publish the programme for the 88th Warnemünde Week (4 to 12 July 2026)." DSV President Mona Küppers also spoke favourably of Coşkuner Genç in the spring when she became President of Eurosaf: "With her many years of experience in sailing and an active career as a sailor, she is a great asset to the European association."
The organising Warnemünde Sailing Club we have presented in a large portrait.
