Alison recognised for Para sailing efforts with ISAF prize

Betsy Alison received the ISAF) President’s Development Award for her work in Para World Sailing in 2015 ©ISAF

American Betsy Alison has been recognised for her work in developing Para World Sailing throughout 2015, by being honoured with the International Sailing Federation’s (ISAF) President’s Development Award at their Annual Conference in Sanya, China.

A successful sailor herself, having claimed the Yachtswoman of the Year prize five times in her career, Alison has also heavily contributed to sailing as the head coach of the US Paralympic Sailing Programme.

Her work at grassroots level has been aimed at developing a pathway for people with differing disabilities, allowing them to be able to compete.

She was also named as the chair of the ISAF Para World Sailing Committee earlier this year, as the sport responded to being dropped from the Paralympic Games programme by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for Tokyo 2020.

Following the sport's axing she led the inaugural ISAF Paralympic Development Programme clinic in London 2012 sailing venue Weymouth, with seven nations taking part in the event which was organised to try and develop the sport across the world after the IPC claimed it lacked worldwide reach.

It is hoped that the nations participating in the clinic will be able to compete in events using Paralympic equipment, such as the Sailing World Cup and Disabled Sailing World Championships.

"Even though we have had such a disappointment with the Tokyo 2020 IPC decision, the fact of the matter is that sometimes bad news or disappointing circumstances can provide the opportunity to change things in a manner that will make the sport better going forward,” said Alison after receiving her award from ISAF President Carlo Croce.

"That's the opportunity we have right now so, working with the Para World Sailing Committee, we are thinking way outside of the box and colouring outside the lines.

"We will look at ways, whether it's through making equipment more simple and affordable or looking at events and making the format super exciting for the public and the media to follow.

"We have a great opportunity that we want to capitalise on and we're going to explore some options in the next 12 months.”

Alison was previously rewarded for her fine work having been awarded the Gay S Lynn Memorial Trophy for her service to sailing and sailors with disabilities in 2006.

That was after she proved to be instrumental in the revising and editing of the 1996 International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) Disabled Sailing Manual.

Additionally the American had worked to design and implement a classification system for the inclusion of sailors with visual impairments in Para World Sailing competition at all levels, as well as having provided coaching for the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge and leading the first disabled sailing instructor workshop.