Get to know Mina Mobekk, the 20 year old iQFOiL athlete representing Norway at the Paris Olympics 2024.
After winning 1st place at the iQFOiL European Championships last May, Mina is getting ready to represent Norway at her first Olympics this July. Before heading down to Marseille for the Games, we caught up with Mina to get her thoughts on iQFOiL and the Class’s environmental action.
With beautiful Norwegian blue skies as her backdrop, a smiling Mina appeared on the screen. Having just finished her morning training on the inland fjords of Oslo, Mina kindly spared us a few minutes of her time to answer our questions…
Mina, tell us about the journey to your first Olympics…
I started windsurfing when I was 9, really because I saw my sister doing it. I thought ‘this looks fun’ and then started on the Techno and went to some competitions. Then, as I was supposed to be going to RS:X, they changed it to iQFOiL. At first, I was a bit skeptical, wondering if it was going to be fun or how it would turn out.
So I tried some other foiling and thought it was hard, but fun. Then I changed to iQFOiL. From there I headed to the qualification competitions and the World Championships too.
Do you remember your first time on the iQFOiL?
I remember one of the first times was in Silvaplana in 2021, so not too long ago really!
Did you notice a difference compared to your aluminium foils?
Yes, I could notice a huge difference! – A good difference though. It was a really great experience.
Aside from qualifying for the Olympics, what are you most proud of so far?
Last year, the Europeans helped me a lot. I was struggling to do as well in the competitions as in training. The Europeans helped me to believe that, actually, I was quite good. [Mina came first]. Winning then helped me for the rest of the year and this year too.
What are you most looking forward to in Marseille?
In Marseille, there are all the different wind directions and strengths, and so in one week you can get everything! I think it makes Marseille really special.
‘In one week you can get everything! I think it makes Marseille really special’
What concerns you most about the environment?
What concerns me the most is the plastic pollution in the ocean. When you are sailing and see just so much of it in the water, it’s just horrible. Especially the small plastic pieces, they don’t ever go away. I think this is a huge problem.
Also what else concerns me is that I travel a lot, and it is mostly flying which is, of course, not great for the environment.
Do you talk about this with other athletes?
I talk most with my friends in the community, but everyone I speak to about it thinks the plastic is horrible.
Is there a big difference in the plastic pollution between the various places you train?
Yes, especially in the more recent years while I have been traveling, I have seen that some places have more plastic than others. For example, In Marseille, there is a lot of plastic. On some days there were plastic bags all over the place.
What do you think is the solution?
I think by firstly starting with the athletes and coaches, to raise awareness and encourage them to use less single-use plastics. Also, make sure that they don’t lose any plastic over the side of their boats … sometimes it just slides off and they don’t even notice.
I see a lot of plastic in the water. Whenever I am on a break during my training, like if I’m standing still on the board, I will always pick up any plastic and give it to my coach… It’s not like it’s going to remove everything, but at least by picking up one piece, it will be better than before.
Tell us your thoughts on the iQFOiL environmental action?
I think it’s really cool that the iQFOiL is measuring the carbon footprint of equipment and then also planting mangroves! I like that you ask for athletes to fill in their travel information to the events, to balance out their footprints from their flights too. Also, collecting plastic directly from the beach is really nice – it’s something we should all do.
What else could we (iQFOiL) do?
Well, as you already have the carbon footprint form for the registration at each [major] event, it would be cool to have a footprint form for training too, as lots of athletes have to travel for practice. Especially coming up to the Olympics, I have been doing a lot less training in Norway. Then we could also plant trees for this!
Finally, what is something we can all do to improve our impact?
I think first of all bring more awareness about the environment… in which direction it is going and what we need to do… Then start with the easiest things, like recycling, not using single-use plastics, and picking up litter any time you see it. – It’s the small stuff we can all do. If everyone does a small improvement every day it accumulates to big changes over time.
Following our conversation, Mina returned to her training. Like all world class athletes, she is devoted to her sport and driven by passion. At such a young age, Mina has already proved herself on a world stage and it is exciting to think what she could go on to achieve!
Even with her busy schedule pre-Olympics, it’s awesome to see that she is using her influential voice as an athlete to draw attention to the issues which concern her most. By candidly acknowledging that the lifestyle of a professional athlete demands frequent global travel, Mina raises the important point that something must be done to address the effects of athletes regularly flying around the world.
Alongside this, Mina’s recognition of the worsening plastic situation highlights the urgent need to take action and tackle the issue. Today, it’s true that everybody, from World Champions to weekend sailors, has experienced the disappointment of seeing plastic litter spoiling our beloved waters. However, as Mina points out, everybody is also united in the fact that we can do something about it! Find out what you can do here.
What we’re doing to help…
Starboard, with the iQFOiL class, is taking on both of Mina’s top environmental worries. By asking athletes and event organisers to supply information on their travels and energy usage, we calculate the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from every major iQFOiL event. From there, we plant enough mangroves in Myanmar to sink down 10 times the amount of the CO2 that these events release. Last year, we made 10 iQFOiL events 10X climate-positive! Find out how we do it here.
Combining action for the climate, with action for the oceans, Starboard and iQFOiL also work to collect plastic directly from the shorelines of Thailand and Myanmar. Through intercepting it before it enters the ocean, we can help to prevent the devastating effects of plastic on biodiversity, ocean health, and of course, our fun on the water!
At Starboard, we’re wishing Mina the very best of luck at the Olympics next month. Regardless of her position, we’re already immensely proud that she is speaking up about protecting the planet.
