Issue date
The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has presented the ISAF President Development Award to London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition manager Rob Andrews.
The Award recognizes outstanding achievement in the development of sailing. Rob Andrews already had a long and illustrious career in sailing when he was appointed to the role of Sailing Manager for London 2012. Through his tireless work in this role he has contributed enormously to a significant lasting legacy for sailing.
Presenting the Award, ISAF President Göran Petersson said, ““Rob Andrews has long been instrumental in driving sailing forward. Over the last five years he has transferred his commitment and passion to the international stage. The 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition set new standards for sailing and at the heart of the development was Rob.
“Rob had an excellent working relationship with the International Sailing Federation and we now look forward to seeing his knowledge transferred to future sailing events.”
In the Spring of 2008 Rob’s London 2012 journey began when he was appointed to the role of Sailing Manager by LOCOG. He attended the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games as an observer, absorbing the highs and lows of both events and in the autumn of 2008, began working closely with ISAF with one goal in mind, to make the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition the best it could possibly be.
Rob brought together a dedicated team and worked tirelessly to move the sport forward with a clear focus on the on water management, sports presentation and television production.
Quiet, but with a steely determination Rob was not fazed by the confines of the bid book and time and again returned to the senior executives of LOCOG to petition for sailing. The most notable of these was the spectator venue at the Nothe Gardens and for the first time in the history of the sport, tickets to watch sailing were available to purchase in the same way as all other sports.
After witnessing the success of the breakwater at Qingdao where friends and family gathered to support the athletes, Rob returned to the UK to find a suitable location around Weymouth Bay. The transformation of the Nothe Gardens to a official spectator venue was a long hard road but one that Rob Andrews would not turn back from.
Through hard work and a vision the dream became a reality and on 29 July British and international sailing fans flocked in their thousands to Weymouth and Portland.
The spectator experience was one of the highlights of London 2012 as 5,000 paying spectators assembled on the Nothe Gardens day after day and were treated to a spectacle of Olympic sailing. The images of the sailors battling for the medals and an emphatic Women’s Match Racing final will live long in the hearts and minds of sailors and fans.
It was a job well done by Rob and a committed team of individuals working together for the good of the sport of sailing.
The transfer of knowledge is well underway as ISAF work hard to continue the developments and breakthroughs that Rob has made through to the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition and beyond.
