Bring back real regattas

The International Olympic Committee is eager for all sports at the Olympic Games to have audience appeal. The organization seeks to maintain the relevancy of their event, which for Sailing has meant more dynamic equipment and climactic competition formats.

Whether this pursuit is futile is a conversation for another day, with new regatta formats being tested at the first two events of the Sailing Grand Slam series in Palma (ESP) and Hyères (FRA). Olympic coach John Bertrand dissects the effort by World Sailing to fulfill the IOC directive:

After 40% of the races were completed, the headline from the French Grand Prix was – “Real Racing Begins Now”.

Bring back real regattas where every race counts — build rankings that matter across the season –create an Olympic final that is clear, modern, and intentionally different.

For more than a decade, sailing has been trying to solve the same problem: how to make Olympic-class racing more relevant, more watchable, and more valuable within the Olympic movement.

The challenge is real. The response has too often missed the mark. – Full report

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program (July 16-28):
First Week – July 16-20
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class – Long Beach, CA
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – Long Beach, CA

Second Week – July 23-28
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7 – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6 – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470 – Los Angeles, CA
Men’s Skiff – 49er – Los Angeles, CA
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX – Los Angeles, CA
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17 – Los Angeles, CA

For more details, click here.