The Ocean Race — a round-the-world race known for its marine advocacy — has arrived in Athens ahead of the Our Ocean Conference 2024, which starts today at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) in Athens, Greece.

On Monday (15 April 2024) Ericsson 1 — one of the ‘legend’ boats that competed in the 2005-06 edition of the race — sailed into Marina Flisvos where the Relay4Nature baton, a symbolic object known as ‘Nature’s Baton’ was handed over by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Oceans, Peter Thomson, to Greece’s Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Oceans and Coordinator of the “Our Ocean 2024” Conference, Dr. Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou.

Greek Olympic medallists Sofia Papadopoulou, Sofia Bekatorou, and Virginia Kravarioti also welcomed the boat at the dock.

The baton handover is part of the Relay4Nature, an initiative created to help give the ocean a voice on the critical issues affecting our planet at the landmark events where decisions are made about the environment.

“Carried across land and sea to Athens today, Nature’s Baton brings to the Our Ocean Conference its message of connectivity,” says Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean. “A universal commitment from around the world is required if we are going to succeed in reversing the decline in the ocean’s health. No healthy planet without a healthy ocean.”

Nature’s Baton, carrying the message of the critical role the ocean plays in regulating climate change and the wider health of the planet, is being delivered to leaders of the Our Ocean Conference as a reminder of the connection between these key ocean events.

Greece’s Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Oceans and Coordinator of the “Our Ocean 2024” Conference, Dr. Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou, adds: “It is crucial to have the global ocean community here with us. Passing the message of ocean protection through sports is key as the threat is out for everyone and sport has the power to convey the message to a key audience: the younger generations.

“One of the main objectives of the Our Ocean Conference 2024 and also next year’s UN Ocean Conference in Nice is the ratification of the BBNJ treaty for the protection of underwater biodiversity in the High Seas. We also need to keep working to combat ocean plastic and microplastic pollution; make sure the blue economy sectors move towards a sustainable path; the shipping sector moves towards decarbonisation as fast as possible; and take care of the Mediterranean Sea, a very fragile ecosystem.”

The Ocean Race activation in Athens, Greece. Our Ocean Conference 2024.

The Relay4Nature arrives in Athens, Greece at the start of the Our Ocean Conference 2024. Image courtesy of Austin Wong / The Ocean Race.

On 17 April, following the closing ceremony of the Our Ocean Conference, Nature’s Baton will continue its journey to pass the message to the delegates of the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC 2025), which will be held in Nice, France, in June 2025.

The Ocean Race team, led by Race Chairman Richard Brisius, is present at the Conference to continue its advocacy work for a healthy ocean and to seek further ways to collaborate with the ocean community.

During the boat’s stay in Greece — from 14 April to 17 April — the six-member crew will present the boat, its history and the educational program of “The Ocean Race” to Greek and international friends of the sea.

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