Issue date
Windfoiling will debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics after it won support at World Sailing's annual general meeting in Bermuda over the weekend.
The iFoil will replace the RS:X at the Paris Games after it was selected ahead of four other packages, including the RS:X.
It means all of the events and equipment for the 2024 Olympics have been confirmed except the mixed two person offshore keelboat. The criteria for suitable equipment for the mixed offshore qualification events will be published no later than December 31, 2020, and equipment selected no later than December 31, 2023.
The list of events and equipment for Paris 2024:
Men's Windsurfer - iFoil
Women's Windsurfer –iFoil
Men's One Person Dinghy - Laser
Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial
Women's Skiff - 49erFX
Men's Skiff - 49er
Mixed Kite – Formula Kite
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470
Mixed Two Person Multihull - Nacra 17
Mixed Two Person Keelboat Offshore – TBC
It wasn't the only decision to be made at the World Sailing meeting.
World Sailing’s council unanimously supported the inclusion of a mixed one person kiteboard event into the Youth Sailing World Championships at some point from 2021. This will align the youth worlds with the Paris Olympics and strengthen the pathway for kiteboarding to the Olympic Games.
Furthermore, council made changes to the 420 at the youth worlds. It's now possible to have mixed crews in the boy's (open) section as well as a separate competition for females. The inclusion of a mixed 420 in the youth worlds also aligns itself to the Paris Olympics when a mixed 470 is on the slate.
Youth match race rankings will also be introduced
In 2014, World Sailing held the inaugural Youth Match Racing World Championship and, since then, youth match racing has been growing worldwide.
To further develop youth match racing, World Sailing’s council unanimously supported the inclusion of a youth match race rankings for skippers under 23 years old on December 31 of the year in which the event is held, to give a platform for recognising and promoting youth athletes.
The aim is to extend the quality of youth match racing events worldwide by better defining the ranking of sailors, identify sailors to be invited to events and to encourage participation.
Intellectual Disability World Championships added to World Sailing portfolio of events
In May, World Sailing partnered with Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport. The signing of a memorandum of understand would see the organisations work together towards the development and implementation of strategies and sailing programmes for people with intellectual impairments.
World Sailing’s council unanimously supported increasing the Para World Sailing Championships, when held, for up to six disciplines per year. Of these six world championships, World Sailing can now select between an intellectual disability (one person and two person) and a hearing impaired world championship which will grow sailing for people with intellectual impairments globally.
In addition, all Para World Sailing disciplines may also be granted the right to hold additional youth world championships as well as world championships based on disability type or para classification.
