Going along for the Olympic ride

The International Laser Class Association was established in 1972 to provide leadership for its membership, but that all changed when the singlehanded dinghy was included in the 1996 Olympic Games.

While a fraction of the membership will pursue the Olympics, the Class is now beholden to World Sailing and their effort to keep Sailing as an Olympic event. This included the name change from Laser to ILCA, and now involves packaging events for broadcast. Read on:

The 2026 ILCA World Championships will take place on Dublin Bay in August and September, but a prepared Notice of Race (NOR) document setting out how the event will be governed will not be published until after the World Sailing Conference in November. According to Irish publication Afloat, local organizers say the delay is to reflect any rule or format changes agreed at the event.

The double Olympic class event is the biggest ever championship of its kind to be held in Ireland and comes just two years out from the LA 2028 Olympic Regatta, attracting some of the world’s top sailors. Afloat reports that160 sailors will compete in the men’s event and 120 in the women’s.

World Sailing is considering a shift to a three-stage structure of Opening Series, Semi-Finals and Finals. Under the proposal, scores would not carry over between rounds. Fleet cuts are planned after the opening races, with shorter races of around 18 to 20 minutes in the later stages.

The format under review also includes smaller final fleets, racing resets between rounds and the possibility of a multi-race medal series instead of a single decider. Race officials say they want the Dublin event to mirror whatever is approved at the conference.

Event Chairman Con Murphy of the National Yacht Club told Afloat that, although there is a hold on publication, there is a possibility that there will be no changes at all for the Irish hosted event.

Final details on fleet sizes, race lengths, and progression will be confirmed once the conference concludes. Organizers say the approach avoids issuing amendments after publication.

The 2025 World Sailing Conference is also being staged in Dublin and will see over 400 delegates gather at Dun Laoghaire Harbor next month. The conference, headed up by World Sailing President Quanhai Li, brings together international delegates to plan future events and shape the direction of the sport.