New Zealand's Black Foils have taken top spot in the first round of the 2026 SailGP Impact League, recognised for a campaign that brought together athlete advocacy, community action and political engagement to protect some of the country's most vulnerable marine ecosystems.
The Impact League is the world's first sustainability competition embedded within a global sports championship, running alongside the on-water racing and rewarding teams for the positive environmental and social impact they create throughout the season.
At the centre of the Black Foils' winning entry was Swim4TheOcean, a 90-day, 1,367km endurance swim by ultra-distance swimmer Jono Ridler along New Zealand's North Island. Led by Black Foils co-CEO and Olympic champion Blair Tuke alongside ocean conservation charity Live Ocean, the initiative aimed to build public support for ending bottom trawling on seamounts in New Zealand's waters and across the South Pacific high seas.
The Black Foils supported Ridler throughout the challenge, joining community events, accompanying him on the water and meeting with policymakers to push for stronger protections. The campaign concluded with a petition signed by more than 73,000 people being presented to New Zealand Parliament, calling for greater protection of fragile seamount ecosystems and an end to bottom trawling permits on the high seas. The project also generated almost 400 million media impressions worldwide.
"What Jono did is one of the greatest endurance feats of all time, but this was always more than just a swim. It was a platform to create change," said Blair Tuke.
"Swim4TheOcean was one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I've ever been involved in and I'm so proud of what was achieved. We saw New Zealanders really come around this with a snowball of support, giving us a powerful platform to drive positive action for the ocean."
The Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team finished second after delivering a project tackling marine pollution and social inequality in Guanabara Bay ahead of the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix. The initiative removed more than eight tonnes of marine debris, created paid employment for local fishermen, recycled sailing equipment into new products and ran ocean education workshops for young people.
Third place was shared for the first time in Impact League history, with both the Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank and the DS Automobiles SailGP Team France receiving recognition. Germany's Beyond Sailing programme combined cutting-edge marine biodiversity research with youth education, while France's Regen Ocean Farms initiative supported sustainable seaweed farming in Brazil and explored bio-based materials to reduce sailing's environmental footprint.
Every SailGP team competes in the Impact League alongside its racing campaign, partnering with charities and local organisations to deliver projects focused on environmental protection, social inclusion and community impact. Further Impact League winners, along with the overall 2026 Season champion, will be announced later in the year.
