Meet Our Ambassador Afrodite: Olympic Sailor & Sustainability Advocate, Part 1 - Sailors for the Sea

Meet Our Ambassador Afrodite: Olympic Sailor & Sustainability Advocate, Part 1

 June 25, 2026  | By: Steff Ruf


Afrodite Zegers-De Kleine is a Greek-Dutch Olympic sailor who began sailing in Athens, Greece at age nine and has competed in multiple Olympic Games and World Cups. Read on to learn more about how she went from working in financial crime compliance to becoming the Sustainability Manager for the Star Sailors League!

Sailors for the Sea: Tell us a little about yourself and how your sailing journey began.

Afrodite: I was born in Athens, Greece, in 1991 and started sailing in Piraeus when I was nine years old. From the moment I stepped onto the water, the sea felt like home. At 18, I moved to the Netherlands for family reasons. It wasn’t always an easy transition, but the sea remained my constant connection between Greece and my new life.

Q: You’ve had an impressive sailing career. What are some of your highlights?

I’ve been fortunate to compete at the highest level in the Optimist, 420, 470 and Match Racing classes. I represented the Netherlands at two Olympic Games, finishing fourth at Rio 2016 and tenth at Tokyo 2020 in the 470 class.

Some of my favorite achievements include winning silver at the 2021 470 World Championship, gold at the 2011 470 Youth World Championship, and medals at both World and European Championships. I’ve also won World Cup events in Palma, Hyères, Miami and Enoshima, and have been national champion of Greece and the Netherlands multiple times.

Every medal has its own story, but what I value most are the lessons, friendships and experiences that sailing has given me.

Q: Your career extends beyond competitive sailing. What inspired that path?

Alongside sailing, I built a career in law, financial crime compliance and change management. Working full-time in an office eventually made me realize just how much I missed being on the water.

I wanted to combine my legal background with my passion for sailing and the marine environment. Seeing firsthand how climate change, pollution and marine debris are affecting the places where we train and race made me want to be part of the solution.

That’s why I’m currently completing an Executive Degree in Sustainable Sports Management at Johan Cruyff University—to help turn sustainability ideas into practical action within sport.

Q: What are you doing today to help make sailing more sustainable?

Today I split my time between Zwolle in the Netherlands and Greece. I’m the Sustainability Manager for the Star Sailors League and Sustainability Ambassador for the Hellenic Sailing Federation.

I enjoy working with sailing events and federations to implement practical sustainability initiatives that make a real difference. One project I’m especially proud of was organizing a large beach clean-up in Thailand together with sailors and children from three local schools. Watching the sailing community and local families work side by side to care for the coastline was incredibly inspiring.

Stay tuned for part two to learn how Afrodite came back from a major injury and what she enjoys doing when she’s not sailing!