The Ocean Race unites sailors, scientists and global leaders at UN Ocean Conference in Nice
by The Ocean Race 13 Jun 09:06 NZST
Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) 2025, Nice, France © Tiger Brisius / The Ocean Race
Today, at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, The Ocean Race brought together an extraordinary lineup of athletes, policymakers, scientists, and environmental leaders to spotlight the unrivalled power of sport as a driver of ocean action.
The session, "The Power of Sport as a Key Convenor" showcased how ocean racing is contributing to accelerating policy, scientific collaboration, and public engagement to restore the ocean's health. Moderated by Richard Brisius, the Race Chairman of The Ocean Race, the event delivered powerful insights across science, sport, and sustainability.
"We know many more Americans follow sports than they do science," noted Jeremy Pochman, co-founder and CEO of 11th Hour Racing. "We are looking for ways to use sport as a platform to bridge science and public understanding - and change the culture around caring for the ocean."
From banning single-use plastic in events to pioneering global ocean data collection on racing yachts, the synergy between science and sailing took centre stage. Dr. Toste Tanhua of GEOMAR highlighted how The Ocean Race boats are now gathering critical CO2 data from ocean regions untouched by commercial and even research vessels—an innovation helping to close gaps in global climate science.
Olympic and America's Cup sailing legends Peter Burling and Blair Tuke closed the event with a call to action, sharing achievements from their Live Ocean Foundation - from seabird protections to marine policy reform. The foundation was inspired by their own participation as sailors in The Ocean Race back in 2017 and set up shortly afterwards.
"The ocean has been everything to us since we were kids in New Zealand," said Tuke. "And I think we feel a responsibility to look after it. The Ocean Race was the catalyst for us to start Live Ocean. Being out on the water, racing between places where so few people go, you feel so immersed in nature and that sets you up to care and speak about these issues in an authentic way."
"The Ocean Race is very special. For me it was the first time I'd sailed across an ocean and that changes your perspective," added Burling. "I was thinking about how amazing it was to see all the nature and marine life that was so much at home in these environments and we wanted to use what we'd seen and learned to make a positive change. Ocean health issues are important and urgent and we believe we have to do what we can to help."
Today's event celebrated the recent launch of The Ocean's Logbook, a new long-term global initiative to gather voices and measure public sentiment around ocean health issues and initiatives.
Peter Thomson, the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean, presented The Ocean's Logbook as part of the launch of the 30x30 Ocean Action Plan. The Logbook gathers personal stories from around the world - turning memory into testimony. Each entry helps make the case to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.
Policy impact was also in focus, with Brazil's Santa Catarina state representative Marquito sharing how his region legally recognised ocean rights, implemented 60+ protection actions, and launched community sailing programs - all catalysed by ocean sport engagement.
The Sports for Nature initiative was a highlight, led by IUCN and partners, with Charles Steinmyller and Pia Thorsby showcasing the role of athletes as environmental ambassadors. Footballer Martin Troisbee's jersey number "2" (symbolising the Paris Agreement's 2 degreesC goal) offered a case in point: a simple symbol igniting complex climate conversations.
The positive momentum continues with The Ocean Race Summit Kiel on 7 August and the start of The Ocean Race Europe - during which the sailors will collect critical data - in the German city on 10 August and The Ocean Race Europe will return with a stopover in Nice from 29-31 August.
Earlier in the week, The Ocean Race convened two engaging and informative sessions:
Science & Sailing: Driving Ocean Research
Co-hosted with IMOCA and IFREMER, this session showcased how offshore racing supports cutting-edge marine science. In 2023, The Ocean Race fleet collected over 4 million ocean data points, fueling critical climate research. With participation from IFREMER, UNESCO-IOC, and The Ocean Race, the message was clear: this work must scale, and more data will be gathered this summer during The Ocean Race Europe.
Boosting Corporate Involvement in Ocean and Coastal Protection & Restoration
In a dynamic session co-hosted with Friends of Ocean Action and Volvo Cars, leading business voices - including Volvo's Vanessa Butani, Conservation International's Dr. M. Sanjayan, and Fred Tsao of TPC Group - joined The Ocean Race's Richard Brisius to discuss how companies can drive ocean health. The focus: turning ambition into bold, measurable action through conservation finance, circular innovation, and scalable solutions.
With these three hosted events alongside its wider participation at the conference, The Ocean Race reinforced its role not only as an iconic sporting event but as a global catalyst for ocean restoration, science, and as a driver for policy change.