US Sailing Response to Paralympic Decision

Bristol, RI (September 14, 2018) – US Sailing, the national governing body of the sport, is disappointed to learn of the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) decision not to include Sailing as part of the 2024 Paralympic Games Sports Program. The decision was made on Thursday, September 13 at an IPC Board meeting in Madrid, Spain.

World Sailing recently reported that they were informed by the IPC that Sailing is not in compliance with one or more of the core criteria for Games inclusion. World Sailing will soon meet with the IPC´s leadership to further understand the details of the decision and the analysis by the IPC management team.

Sailing was removed from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Sports Program in January of 2015 for failing to meet worldwide reach criteria.

“We are very disappointed in this outcome, and the sailing community eagerly awaits more details on the IPC’s decision before determining potential next steps,” said Jack Gierhart, Chief Executive Officer of US Sailing.

“Regardless of the future of sailing in the Paralympics, US Sailing will continue to foster opportunities for sailors with disabilities to sail and race at all levels of both domestic and international competitions and help organize and support clinics and other educational offerings for these inspiring athletes.

“We will also continue to drive awareness about the benefits of sailing for individuals with disabilities and provide support and resources to sailing organizations interested in implementing adaptive sailing programming to their curriculum.”

World Sailing also reports that Para World Sailing has had a period of accelerated growth through initiatives such as the Paralympic Development Program (PDP) that culminated in more than 80 sailors from 37 nations and five continents racing across three events at the 2017 Para World Sailing Championships.

The U.S. has a total of eight entries/nine sailors in competition at the upcoming 2018 Para World Sailing Championships on September 16-22 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. A record 101 sailors from 42 nations have registered to race across four events and participate in a PDP clinic which precedes the Championships.

Source: US Sailing