World Sailing chief executive David Graham has promised the campaign for Paralympic re-instatement will continue ©World Sailing

World Sailing chief executive David Graham has hailed efforts by the global sailing community to reinstate sailing for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games and promised that the campaign will be continued even if current efforts prove unsuccessful.

"Nothing has inspired me this year like the sight of our sport uniting behind our efforts to get sailing back into the Paralympics for LA28," Graham said.

World Sailing had started a #BacktheBid campaign in 2021 to persuade the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to restore the sport to the Paralympic programme.

"From every corner of sailing, our community has been absolutely spectacular in adding their voices to the chorus of support for our Back the Bid campaign. 

"It has been a truly global movement and it has been heard loud and clear by the International Paralympic Committee.

"We won't define success by our presence in LA alone, but by the numbers of disabled people who have access to and enjoy our sport, and those numbers are headed in the right direction."

A campaign to re-instate sailing on the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic programme was launched last year ©World Sailing
A campaign to re-instate sailing on the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic programme was launched last year ©World Sailing

The sport was removed from the Paralympic programme after the Rio 2016 Games and attempts to include the sport for Paris 2024 proved unsuccessful.

The IPC is expected to decide which sports are to be included for the LA 2028 Games at a meeting early next year.

A total of 23 sports are bidding for inclusion at the Games and no sport has ever been successfully restored to the Paralympic programme after removal.

"Whatever the decision we will continue to support Para Sailing because it is an integral part of our sport," Graham said.

"I hear from disabled sailors all around the world that sailing gives them the chance to experience a freedom on water which is denied to them on land and we will not relax our efforts until sailing is back in the Paralympics," he continued.

World Sailing have said that any Paralympic sailing competition would include sailors from 46 nations spread across six continents.