Boat evaluation continues for Paris 2024

Singlehanded competition was introduced as a Sailing event at the 1920 Olympic Games, with various boats filling the role until the Finn was introduced at Helsinki 1952. While the Finn has remained a constant for each games through to Tokyo 2020, the Sailing Program has evolved to include other boats.

As the Finn is best suited for large men, it shifted from an Open event to a Men’s event at the 1988 Games along with the introduction of the Women’s Two Person Dinghy. Here’s what happened next for solo sailors:

1992: Europe dinghy used for new Women’s event
1996: Laser used for new Open event
2008: Laser Radial replaces Europe for Women’s event
2008: Laser used for new Men’s event

The Laser and Laser Radial remain the boats to be used for the Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy through Tokyo 2020, but their future is uncertain after that. With private ownership, a lack of manufacturing competition has led to antitrust questions. Additionally, supply issues has helped to launch modern singlehanders that throw shade on the 1969 design.

World Sailing offers this update on the boat to be used for the Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy event at Paris 2024:

(October 3, 2018) – Four boats have been shortlisted to proceed to the equipment-trial phase as part of the re-evaluation process for the Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy Equipment for the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition.

World Sailing received eight compliant bids and following a procedure approved at the 2018 Mid-Year Meeting, the following boats have been shortlisted and will be put forward to World Sailing’s Council at the 2018 Annual Conference (in alphabetical order):

• D-Zero, presented by Devotti Sailing s.r.o.
• Laser Standard and Laser Radial sailboat, presented by ILCA
• Melges 14, presented by Melges Boat Works Inc., NELO and Mackay Boats Ltd.
• RS Aero, presented by RS Sailing.

World Sailing launched the tender process in May 2018 which invited Class Associations and Manufacturers to tender for the Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy following World Sailing’s Olympic Re-evaluation Policy, detailed in Regulation 23.6 and approved by World Sailing’s Council at the 2017 Annual Conference in Mexico.

Click here to view the tender document.

World Sailing received eight compliant bids and the D-Zero, Laser Standard and Laser Radial, Melges 14 and RS Aero were shortlisted in July 2018 as being those who closely mirror the technical criteria for the event – easy to sail, shared hull dinghy monohull with different rig sizes for male, female and youth sailors.

Following shortlisting, in Phase 2, World Sailing undertook site visits to the manufacturers to confirm the submitted information, after which an improved bid was requested from each of them to address the supply of equipment to major events, the accessibility to the market by new builders and the standardization of equipment amongst different builders.

The Board’s Re-evaluation Working Party reviewed the bids and has recommended to World Sailing’s Board of Directors that World Sailing should proceed to select new equipment with the additional recommendation that the existing equipment (Laser/ILCA) is included as a full option in the process.

The Board has discussed and approved the Working Party recommendation to proceed to evaluation and trials for these four boats.

If this recommendation is accepted, equipment trials (sea trials) and evaluation will be carried out under the supervision of the Equipment Committee in order to comply with Regulation 23.1.3(e).

Following the trials and evaluation, a report will be made to World Sailing’s Equipment Committee who will then make a recommendation to Council on the final selection of the equipment.

To read the full process and procedure in the Olympic Equipment Re-evaluation procedure, click here.

Click here for a Question and Answer document for the selection of the Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy.

Click here to view the Men and Women One Person Dinghy Shortlisted bids.

Click here to view the Re-Evaluation Board recommendation to Council.

Evaluation Timeline:

Melges 14

D-Zero

Laser

RS Aero