Sail GP to reward sustainability, diversity and inclusion

Sir Ben Ainslie is the driver and CEO of the Great Britain team in Sail GP

Sail GP has become one of the first global sporting competitions to reward sustainability and diversity.

The new Impact League will feature a podium for climate positivity as well as speed across the water.

The nine-event championship sees eight teams racing across the globe also measured on the actions taken to reduce their carbon footprint.

Points will be awarded for clean energy solutions, removing all single-use plastics, plus diversity and inclusion.

The end-of season, winner-takes-all, final event in San Francisco will see separate podiums across two criteria, the most sustainable team earning a funding boost of $150,000 (£108,000) for their chosen environmental partner. The winners of the actual race will receive $1m (£720,000).

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie, chief executive and driver of Great Britain's team, said: "If we don't act now, all the amazing sport that gives us such joy, from the grassroots all the way to the top of the professional game, is under threat from the impact of climate change."

The Impact League was launched before the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Plymouth this weekend, the third event in Sail GP's second season, following Bermuda and Italy, and will travel next to Aarhus in Denmark before reaching Saint-Tropez, Cadiz-Andalusia, Sydney and Christchurch before the grand final in California.

Ainslie's GB team currently lie second in the rankings behind Spain.