Paris 2024: Poor winds spread medals

While the high heat and light winds of the Paris 2024 Olympics have gotten the spotlight, World Sailing is celebrating how more nations won medals per event than any other Olympics this century. Nineteen nations were represented on the podium across 10 events, beating the 18 at Beijing 2008.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Closing Ceremony also saw 16 nations choose sailors as their flagbearers, including gold medalists Matt Wearn of Australia (Men’s Dinghy), Austrian Mixed Dinghy pair Lukas Maehr and Lara Vadlau, and Israel’s Tom Reuveny (Men’s Windsurfing).

They were joined at the glittering event at Stade de France by inaugural Men’s Kite silver medalist Toni Vodisek – who won Slovenia’s second-ever sailing medal – and bronze medalist Max Maeder who won Singapore’s only medal at Paris 2024 and sixth of all time.

That followed on from the record-breaking 13 sailors selected for the Opening Ceremony, the most in Olympic history.

Among the flag bearers celebrating at the Paris Closing Ceremony was Stefano Peschiera – Peru’s first Olympic sailing medalist and first podium finisher in 32 years – who was one of 26 athletes supported by World Sailing’s Emerging Nations Program at Paris 2024, up from eight in Tokyo. He was joined as Closing Ceremony flag-bearer by fellow Peruvian Maria Bazo, who narrowly missed out on a place in the final of the women’s windsurfing.

“Sailing is for everyone’ is at the heart of World Sailing, so we were delighted with the number of nations represented both on the start line and among the medalists at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” said David Graham, World Sailing CEO. “We are on course for more nations participating and competing for honors at international level.

“The conditions were a contributing factor for more diversity on the medal table at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, however, this will have a positive impact for our global development aspirations. The credit of course goes to the athletes and the support they receive from their National Federations who are developing sailing from grassroots to the podium on every continent.”

The Sailing venue for Beijing 2008 was Qingdao which also delivered challenging conditions.

“We now look forward and shift our focus to LA 2028,” noted Graham. “Long Beach is an excellent venue which will really showcase the best of the best in our sport.”

Paris 2024 Medal Count (G-S-B) – Ten events
Netherlands: 2-0-2
Austria: 2-0-0
Italy: 2-0-0
Australia: 1-1-0
Israel: 1-1-0
Great Britain: 1-0-1
Spain: 1-0-0
France: 0-1-1
New Zealand: 0-1-1
Sweden: 0-1-1
Argentina: 0-1-0
Cyprus: 0-1-0
Denmark: 0-1-0
Japan: 0-1-0
Slovenia: 0-1-0
Norway: 0-0-1
Peru: 0-0-1
Singapore: 0-0-1
USA: 0-0-1

Venue: Marseille, France
Dates: July 28-August 9

Details: https://paris2024.sailing.org/