Tokyo 2020: Cash for Canadian Team

Working with Wind Athletes Canada, Sail Canada has received sponsorship of $50,000 dollars that will go towards athlete expenses leading up to and preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Wind Athletes Canada promotes the sport of sailing in Canada by supporting training programs, competition and fundraising for promising and high performance sailors.

“The Olympic Games can be a whirlwind experience,” notes John Curtis, President Wind Athletes. “Most athletes are there for the very first time, but even veterans can be overwhelmed. We are delighted to be working with Sail Canada to create the right kind of Team cohesion that will give our athletes an edge.

“This has often been referred to as creating the Olympic bubble which is supportive and psychologically safe space from which athletes emerge to perform to their best potential. A big part of this is about strengthening the relationships between our sailors, coaches and other staff, who may not know each other all that well as they attend events in different classes in different places around the world.

“The purchase of sails is focused on purchasing the spinnakers that some classes use because at the Olympics these sails must have the Canadian Flag incorporated into the design. I recall this being a problem for my own Olympic appearance in 2004. Because we ordered the sail so late we had to compromise on the choice of cloth weight in a white fabric rather than the more available blue cloth we had been using. This support from Wind Athletes Canada will ensure this does not happen to our 2020 team.”

Sail Canada High-Performance Director Mike Milner reports how this partnership with Wind Athletes only strengthens their long-standing relationship. “Wworking together, we can accomplish so much more with not only our Olympians but also our future Olympians leading to 2024 and 2028. With our partners (Canadian Olympic Committee, Sport Canada, and Own the Podium) we are investing $200,000 into our team and to have Wind Athletes additional support means so much in terms of athlete preparation leading to the Games.”

Upon agreement, the funds will go towards purchasing sails, hosting a staging camp at the Olympic venue, and a team camp in Canada leading up to Tokyo.

Source: Sail Canada

TOKYO 2020 Sailing Program
Men’s One Person Dinghy – Laser
Women’s One Person Dinghy – Laser Radial
Men’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Women’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFx
Men’s One Person Dinghy Heavy – Finn
Men’s Windsurfing – RS:X
Women’s Windsurfing – RS:X
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Olympic schedule: July 24 – Aug 9
Sailing schedule: July 26 – Aug 6
Details: https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/schedule/olympic/