Sailing event decisions for Paris 2024

World Sailing has received confirmation from the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Board, on the event program and athlete quotas for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The decisions announced today (December 7, 2020) come following an IOC Program Commission recommendation. They were as follows:

• Mixed Kiteboarding (Formula Kite) and the Mixed Two Person Dinghy (470) will feature at the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition.
• The IOC would like to further review the Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat Event in order to properly assess the key considerations around safety and security of the athletes. The specific event proposal will be decided as soon as practicably possible but no later than May 31, 2021.
• The athlete quota for sailing at Paris 2024 will be 330, which is a decrease of 20 from the 350 at Tokyo 2020.

The sailing events are planned to be held in the Mediterranean Sea at Marseille, France.

“Today’s announcement by the IOC marks a positive step forward for showcasing the diversity and excitement of sailing at the Olympic Games,” notes David Graham, World Sailing’s Chief Executive Officer.

“The list of Events, approved by World Sailing’s Member National Authorities, truly represents the international landscape of sailing with dinghies, keelboats, kiteboarding, skiffs and windsurfers all included in the ten Events. This change has been a complicated process to manage, and I take this opportunity to thank the 1000s of hours work done principally by our volunteer body.

“The Mixed Kiteboarding competition will be one of the fastest events at the Olympic Games, requiring speed, precision and teamwork in short form, close knit races. In addition, the Mixed 470 will require close collaboration between male and female teammates to master the dinghy that has established so many well-known champion sailors.

“We’re looking forward to continuing our close collaboration with the IOC and the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee to answer the important questions on the Mixed Offshore Event to ensure safety and security of the world’s best sailors.

“Offshore sailing is an exciting way of showcasing the sport and engaging fans worldwide with the thrill of adventure, eSport integration, and sailors battling the elements. Marseille will be a perfect venue for the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition, and we’re excited to progress the development of our sport with the IOC and Paris 2024.

“It is obviously disappointing to receive an athlete quota reduction, but this has impacted many sports, not just sailing. We appreciate the difficult decisions the IOC had to make in order to deliver the requirements set out in IOC Agenda 2020.”

The new Events have been included in World Sailing’s Events Strategy for the next quadrennial with sailors already training and preparing for Paris 2024. World Sailing’s Events Committee will now review the individual Event quotas to promote and grow universality and participation in all disciplines.

The safety and well-being of athletes in the Olympic Sailing Competition is a joint priority between the IOC, Paris 2024 and World Sailing. World Sailing will now work closely and quickly with the IOC and Paris 2024 to address the queries, in the hope to obtain final confirmation as soon as practicably possible.

Editor’s note: The decisions for the Paris 2024 Sailing Program were made by World Sailing in December 2018 following a lengthy review process to meet the requirements of the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 document which was released December 2014. This decision now by the IOC has confirmed this program, though as mentioned, the IOC wants a bit more peace of mind regarding the new offshore event.

Source: Daniel Smith, World Sailing