Sailing follows vision for Olympic Games

World Sailing’s embrace of the IOC Olympic Agenda 2020, the document which guides the Event program for each Sport, has led to proposed events for the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition that are gender equal, youthful, universal, and include four mixed events following the decisions made at the 2018 Mid-Year Meeting in London, Great Britain.

On May 10-15, more than 200 delegates met in London for the meetings of the Board, Events Committee, Equipment Committee and World Sailing’s Council. Discussions on the Paris 2024 Olympic Events ebbed and flowed and the sports stakeholders sought to ensure that sailing continues to maximize its impact in the sporting world.

After having received more than fifty submissions it came down to the choice of two submissions, both including four mixed events, the difference being a mixed keelboat event versus a mixed singlehanded dinghy event.

After a full democratic process, World Sailing’s Council confirmed the five new Events for Paris 2024, following the confirmation of the five earlier this year. Combined, the full list of Events seeks to enable sailors with a broad range of physiques to compete across a diverse set of Events and Equipment.

At Tokyo 2020 World Sailing will have full gender equity in athlete numbers, however, the new Events proposed for Paris 2024 will ensure gender equity at an Event level for the first time.

The Formats and Equipment for the new Events will be discussed towards the latter part of the year at the 2018 Annual Conference. The IOC will make its final decisions on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games program in December 2020.

Five new Events for Paris 2024:
Men’s Windsurfer
Women’s Windsurfer
New Event, Mixed One-Person Dinghy
New Event, Mixed Two Person Dinghy
New Event, Mixed Kiteboard

Five Events and their Equipment previously on Paris 2024 slate:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – Laser*
Women’s One Person Dinghy – Laser Radial*
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Mixed Two Person Multihull – Nacra 17
*subject to separate equipment re-evaluation

Kiteboarding will attract new sailors into the sport and engage and inspire them. At the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games, Kiteboarding will feature on the Olympic program for the first time.

The introduction of a Mixed Two Person Dinghy will bring male and female competitors together again on the same piece of Equipment to provide another challenge.

The Mixed One-Person Dinghy will feature male and female sailors racing on separate boats and will require teamwork for transferring knowledge for a team effort to achieve an Olympic gold medal.

The full Council meeting is available to listen back below:
Council Day 1: https://youtu.be/BGujv7Cf3Zk
Council Day 2: https://youtu.be/jtXSGC_QdRA

Read the update on the selection process here: http://www.sailing.org/news/86947.php#.WvsHx6kh1Yg.

Source: World Sailing