Vendée Globe competitor Clarisse Crémer says she is “in shock” after being dropped by her main sponsor just weeks after having a baby.
According to Marine Industry News, the record-setter was let go by Banque Populaire in the wake of a rule change in late 2021 that means finishers no longer automatically qualify for the next edition, and must be within the first 40 to secure enough points in intermediate races.
This left Crémer out of contention as she had taken time off from racing to become a mother; she gave birth to her first child in November 2022.
Banque Populaire claims that it proposed alternatives to Vendée organisers “so that the regulations take into account the situation of women in the Vendée Globe and the question of maternity” but that these were rejected.
Crémer, for her part, has blasted both the race organisers and her former sponsor for their failure to support her in motherhood.
“The rules of a competition are supposed to ensure fairness and sportsmanship. Today, the rules chosen by the Vendée Globe prohibit a woman from having a child,” she said, adding that “Banque Populaire decides that it represents for them a ‘risk’ that they ultimately do not want to take … They’re willing to take on the risk of a giant trimaran, and all the natural, technical and human hazards of racing offshore, but obviously not motherhood.”
What’s more, Crémer has the backing of some of the world’s top women sailors, with fellow Vendée competitor Pip Hare saying she is “shocked and ashamed” at the French woman’s treatment and Sam Davies, also a mother, branding the rule change’s failure to account for maternity leave from racing as a “terrible decision”.
Marine Industry News has more on the story HERE.
