World Sailing appoints Koray Ezer as Head of International Development

World Sailing appoints Koray Ezer as Head of International Development © World Sailing

World Sailing has appointed experienced sports management executive Koray Ezer as its new Head of International Development.

As World Sailing strengthens its commitment to developing the sport globally, Ezer's appointment bolsters the support available to Member National Authorities and the international sailing community.

In his role as Head of International Development, Ezer will be responsible for the strategic development, implementation and delivery of World Sailing's mission to grow the sport and make sailing more accessible, supporting and delivering training and development for sailors, coaches, race officials and regional development coordinators around the world.

Ezer - a former national champion in Turkey - has worked in sailing for over 12 years, developing youth, senior and national windsurf teams in both Turkey and the Sultanate of Oman. His most recent role was as Head of Performance at Oman Sail where he led the restructure of the sailing department, including the Oman Olympic Sailing Programme, world champion GC32 Team, Diam24 teams and offshore sailing teams during a period where Oman became a leading sailing nation in Asia.

He also oversaw the organisation of national championships, training camps and the national team selection programme. At Oman Sail he was influential in supporting several successful bid tender processes for major international events hosted by the country and driving gender equality in sailing by leading the senior women's team programme in both J/70 and Diam24 classes as well as the recruitment of female coaches to work with the team and empowering Omani nationals to pursue a career in the sport.

David Graham, World Sailing Chief Executive Officer, said: "This is a key appointment for World Sailing. We are wholeheartedly committed to creating more opportunities for more people to experience the many benefits of life on water, adding to our work to develop emerging nations and Para Sailing and to encourage more women and girls into the sport.

"Koray's record as a national champion and in delivering development programmes mean he is the ideal candidate to make a real difference in this role. He has shown he can deliver impactful work at the grassroots of our sport, engaging stakeholders and inspiring teams to achieve their strategic goals. He will be an incredibly valuable asset to the international sailing community and I am delighted that he will further strengthen the team at World Sailing."

Ezer, who took up his new position on 10 July, said: "Sailing has been my passion for almost three decades now and I have seen how the sport can transform the lives of people from diverse backgrounds united by a love of sailing.

"The sport has incredible potential to reach communities across the world and be an inspirational educational vehicle, as well as promoting equality, diversity and sustainability for the benefit of sailors at a national, regional and global level."