So, what to make of the decision in Estoril?
Once again some members of ISAF Council have put personal interests ahead of the interests of the sport. Well, hang on, I should qualify that. Because this all depends on what you believe the interests of the sport to be.
My definition? Doing whatever it takes to grow the appeal of the sport, to make itself as attractive as possible to the next generation, in as many continents and nations as possible.
Does the Star do that? No. It’s a rich man’s boat. Not that the Tornado is cheap.
But keelboat versus multihull? That should have been a no-brainer. Think of the kids on the beaches of Asia or South America. They see a Tornado blasting around (OK, maybe not blasting around in Qingdao, but you get my point) on TV. Perhaps it is the catalyst that encourages those kids to go and ask if they can push that battered old Hobie 16 out for a sail, the thing that gets them into the sport. I can’t see the Star doing that. It’s not an aspirational boat. It’s certainly not affordable.
In ISAF and the Star’s defence, however, it does give the big lads something to go and sail. If you look back at my crew weight analysis, which incidentally was circulated around the conference in Estoril, you’ll see that there isn’t that much for the big boys to go and sail, only the Finn and Star. So the keelboat does have that much in its favour.
Other benefits of the Star? Nope, that’s your lot.
That old chestnut about attracting the ‘legends’ of sailing into the Olympics was dragged out again during today’s meeting. I’m sorry, but that’s just hogwash. If you’re going to make that tired old argument that the likes of ‘household names’ like Paul Cayard, Iain Murray etc attract a bigger TV audience, then you’re deluded.
With all due respect to Paul, Iain et al, well known as they might be in our little world, but us sailing fans, we’re going to tune into watch the Games regardless of who’s sailing. So that assumes that the Cayards and Murrays of this world are a big enough draw to attract new TV audiences.
Yeah, right!
Great sailors they may be, but Tiger Woods they ain’t.
Then there’s the other argument that the Star gives the old boys something to go and do. Well I am delighted for John Dane III, aged 57, who has recently won the Star trials for the USA. (And I don’t deny that that is a great media story, particularly if the great Dane goes on to win a medal next year).
But the Olympics doesn’t owe the over-35s a living. Remember the Olympic motto? Citius, altius, fortius. Faster, higher, stronger. Yes, I did Latin at school and I know that none of those words means ‘older’. One of the great strengths of sailing is that it is a sport for life, but that doesn’t mean that all ages should be represented at the Olympics.
But if you disagree, then let’s go the whole hog. Perhaps we should have age categories and make the Star a boat exclusively for the over-35s. That would keep those young whippersnappers at bay, those Scheidts, Peppers and Percys in the class, who keep on stealing the legends’ thunder.
The Women
Now, the women’s classes.
Let’s start with a celebration for the death of the Yngling. Hurray, the wicked witch is dead.
OK, not wicked.
But definitely Ygly.
Most SailJuiceBlog Survey respondents will join me in jumping for joy on the Yngling’s grave.
But most will also join me in mourning the one-vote loss by the women’s skiff to women’s match racing.
First, though, some words of praise for the Women’s Match Racing Association who have created a great circuit over the past 10 years for women to participate in high-level racing in a way that just wasn’t available to them before.
And as we’ve seen from the Bums On Seats analysis, it’s twice as hard to get a woman to participate as it is to get a man to participate in a full-time Olympic campaign. So in one sense ISAF have made a sensible move in tapping into a ready-made circuit that is already well populated by female athletes.
Now, Women’s Match Racing is to be sailed in boats provided by the event organiser, which is both a good and a bad thing. Good, in the sense that women don’t need to stump up the cash to ship their own boat around the world. Bad, in the sense that it severely limits the venues that will be prepared to shoulder the burden of cost and responsibility for providing a fleet of evenly matched, competitive boats.
It’s hard to see how women’s match racing is going to fit in with the existing Olympic tour, to the Hyeres, Breitling Regattas, Kiel Weeks of this world. More likely that they’ll have to plod around the world on their own satellite tour.
Overall, though, it’s not so much that women’s match racing will be a bad thing (certainly better than the Ygly Duckling), but that in failing to select a woman’s high performance skiff ISAF have missed a chance to make real progress. They could have tapped into a demand which at youth level has already been created by the 29er. The Silja Lehtinens of this world will have to satisfy their competitive instincts in the match racing, or the Jacqui Bonnitchas of this world (another 29er World Champion who’s good enough to beat the men. Google her name if you don’t know who she is) just won’t bother to turn up at all.
However, unlike the multihull – for which there seems no way back – there is one last glimmer of hope for a high-performance women’s boat to go head to head with the 470 for the women’s doublehanded slot at the ISAF Conference this time next year. But will any manufacturer want to risk further development cost and time into a possible candidate for the slot when the 470 is already so well established? It would be a ballsy move.
I suspect we’ll have to wait another four years before ISAF seizes the opportunity to….
….stick with the status quo.
Not a good day for ISAF, and not a good day for sailing.
The new events are crass. If it is logical to have match racing for the women, why not for the men? Why have 470 AND 49er, Laser AND Finn… The Star is an antique, that is the best decision (though it’ll probably be back in 2016… [EDIT: I've just noticed they flicked the cat out and kept the coffin with sails... my mistake...]).
One day these guys (ISAF) will take our money and do something sensible with it.
Solution…
Men: 49er
Women: 49er (possibly 29erXX)
Up to 3 boats per country, depending on country world ranking.
Nothing else.
Sorted?
And no arguments about heavyweights and lightweights: I don’t see any 17 stone, 5′ 8″ muscle-men doing the high jump – sometimes its not your thing.
p.s. Nice to see Silja Lehtinen beat our ISAF Sailor of the Year… I’ve heard of Silja, not whoever that other one is…
Today ISAF show us that sailing interests are not important, personal interest is what is important!
I sail a star, but i am the first to say, it shouldnt be in the olympics!! its a boat to enjoy, to sail, like the Dragon, if you to bring people to watch, people who are not sailors, them show them something that is flashy, that makes them go wwoowww…..the tornado would do that, its expensive? its not pratical? them use the hobie 18 tiger!! but please think, who is going to watch a star race???? what is to atract attention??? nothing! one thing is to enjoy sailing another is promote sailing as a olympic event, and today we bring a step closer to remove sailing from being a olympic event!!!
heavy people? old people? i never hear no one complain that they cannot run the 100 meters because they are 57 and weight 100 kg!!!! sailing, like any event should be…your good to be the best you should be in the olympic, you shouldnt be given a special place because you are to heavy or to old!!
I was thinking, wrongly that ISAF was promoting sailing as worldwide sport, it looks like i was wrong, star? who sails stars in Korea? or India? or China? or Peru? or Guam? yet all this countries have people sailing lasers, why??? because its cheap, its one design, and you can win if you are good, and not because you spend a lot of money.
Match racing for women? its non existing “sail” event in 99% of the countries!!! how many people can say, yes, we have a national circuit of women match racing?? so promoting sailing??? and why not open match racing?? its keelboat, so no weight advantage for men, not more power, so why not open?
sailing at the olympic should be simple and good to wath, it should be:
men and women single handler – laser
men and women double – 49
open multihull – tornado or hobbie 18 tiger
and by reducing the number of boats we could have bigger fleets, the bigger the fleet the more attractive is for the person at home watching, who is going to watch 12-15 stars racing?? all the people who sail, the rest? not even close!!!
Today we have 6 classes for men and 4 for women, if things continue like this soon there will be none!!! today the biggest loser is not the mulithull, its sailing!
Worrying that they were handing round your weight analysis at Estoril Andy – not because there was anything wrong with it but shouldn’t they already have this sort of analysis available from their own sources.
Just more evidence that its keeping the old boys happy rather than a step back and analyse what is best for the sport.
This is a reflection of the powers that be in our sport. A sad lot of out of touch never has beens who had a private hidden agenda. The ole men voted against the members and the events committee. They said that the proceedure would have to be reopenned if they did not adopt the suggestions of the events ctee – that is in their constitution. In 2 hours they carried out their own proceedure which had taken several months the first time around. What a mockery. I am too sad to rant – they are killing sailing – will we even be an olypic sport in 2016 with this attitude?
Why is this such a bad day for sailing? will someone please tell me. Where does the story come from that sailing as an olympic sport has no future?
The ladies should probably have a high performance boat. but instead match racing will bring a new and exciting format to the games. we can’t have it all.
But i think the classes chosen will provide a good range of different types of sailing, boat handling, weight etc. At the end of the day the boats will be the same for everyone in their respective class. Once they have chosen their class they can start exploiting it to its full potential using the olympic motto. At the end of the day whatever equipment is used there will be great competition and the best will win.
Olympic sailing is fine. The americas cup is causing the bad days for sailing
Get over it Andy, you are one person with an opinion and it appears not to be shared by ISAF. If you want to change things then why not do it by getting involved with ISAF management instead of lobbying late in the day .
Hello Mike,
Congratulations to you and your fellow Finn sailors for retaining your Olympic status. The Finn is indeed an excellent boat, and I have no problem with it being there for at least another four years.
The decision to keep the Finn in seems to have restored your mojo, and suddenly invested you with a new faith in ISAF’s ability to make the ‘right decision’ (if the rather more anxious tone of your posts to the Finn forum a few days ago are anything to go by). Weren’t sounding quite so cocksure then, were you!
http://www.finnuk.org.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=90
I noted your generous assessment of the other classes designed for people less well endowed than yourself. “Sailing Anarchy website has an article on Vintage Yachting Games 2012 to include the classes thrown out by our masters. If we end up in it we’ll be in better company than that which is left in the games for the lightweight wimps to sail!”
In light of your past comments, it would be easy to interpret your comment to this blog as:
Finn back in for another four years
Job done
Light cigar
I’m alright, Jack
Bugger the rest
But that would be an uncharitable interpretation, so I wouldn’t dare accuse you of that. I’m sure, like most sailors reading this blog, you do have the wider interests of the sport at heart.
Don’t you?
Regards,
Andy
Andy
I think you hit the nail on the head..
What a rubbish day by ISAF – let’s face it the sailing in Qindao is going to be utterly dull for Mr. Average Punter to watch – and then in the next cycle we’re going to have lead mines plodding up and down, no tornados and 470’s cruising around..classes representative of sailing in the 70s…
What a missed opportunity – the should have dumped both the 470 classes, left the mens’ 49ers in and gone with 29er XX or similar for the ladies. Kept in the Tornados, dumped the star and gone with bladeriders…
Then we would have had most classes representative of what people want to sail..and we would have made the olympic sailing interesting to the average punter. How many kids on the dock will be inspired watching stars sailing around when they could have been waching bladeriders
Ben – You’re wrong – the Olympics is the ‘best’ shop window for our sport bar none. How many times over the last two cycles have you heard comments from people in the offfice “wow did you see those 3 blondes on a boat” or “did you see Ainslies blocking that guy to win gold”..
It’s our shop window to the outside world and IMHO ISAF have just left us with a bunch of fossilised products
The Sad Old F***s at the ISAF continue to do sailing in general a disservice. I have over a lot of years sailed many dinghys and cats and am now back in a Laser. My own kids have been brought up in a sailing family, their grandfather sailed for GBR in the 1972 (silver medal, Tempest) and 1976 (cremated his boat, Tempest) and had qualified to go in 1980 (BOYA boycotted Moscow,Star or Soling I can’t remember). They have shown no interest in dinghys or keelboats but the cats on the other hand have the excitement that kids in the 2000’s crave, the 49er or 29erXX or foiling moth probably would do the same.
Why can’t these committee members in the ISAF see what damage they are doing to our sport.
Firstly they allowed the sailing regatta for 2008 to be held in a place renowned for fickle wind, fog and huge amounts of current, what a farce this regatta could turn out to be. Lets hope we are all wrong about this, how many of us have been to regattas and heard everyone saying its not usually like this here? Lets all hope and pray that the regatta in China is blessed with good sailing winds, bright sunshine and that God turns the current down for a couple of weeks.
Secondly, they have decided on events that have been around since “Noah’s trusty old Ark”. What a great shame.
If they had to have a keelboat (I understand the point that it helps with the para-olympics logistics) then why not have an “open event” in a sports-boat like the Laser SB3, that has a crew weight limit which would mean that the women could have 4 crew and the men three, or it could even be a “mixed event” with a combination of the sexes.
I also do not hold with the theory about having a boat specifically for the more portly portion of the sailing community even when I weigh 95 kilos. When I was of the age to do an Olympic campaign (oh if only I had been good enough) I was not as heavy and would have made an effort to be the right weight.
Personally I feel that the greatest shame is the demise of the multihulls, I know that the Tornado is expensive but Mr X said in one of your earlier blogs, Equipment costs came last in the real world of campaign costs. I sailed F18’s for a number of years, what a great, exciting, sponsor friendly, competitive and comparitavely inexpensive boat, as we all know the majority of the sailors currently campaigning a Tornado sail F18’s as well for all of the points mentioned above.
Finally, a plea to the ISAF committee members, please do the sailing fraternity all around the world a great favour, Why not Vote yourselves OFF the COMMITTEE at the next meeting. You do not represent US the sailing masses and quite frankly with your short-sighted, biased and bigoted attitude you never will. (Blimey did I say CORRUPT then).
Ben,
maybe you didn’t see the 96 and 2000 games but match racing is not new to the games and didn’t provide much in the way of extra media coverage of the sport when it was last in.
The IOC has ‘issues’ with sailing as the olympic regatta costs a hell of a lot to run and yet doesn’t attract the tv rights (and revenue) that other much cheaper sports do. I think if the IOC president wasn’t a sailor we’d be getting a much rougher ride with even less classes.
The medal race is a case in point – it’s been sold to the sailing press as ISAFs great idea but I’ve seen several references to it being the least zany of a number of options come up with by a sports marketing company employed by the IOC because ISAF had failed to do anything positive about attracting more tv coverage. It certainly seems a more plausible explanation.
The olympic classes need to modernise and need to get away from the ‘bland white boats’ mentality for good measure. But I won’t hold my breath…
Andy
Ok, I got it wrong – they even dumped the women’s skiff.
I just did not think they could be so out of touch with modern dinghy sailing.
Do these people have any interest except protecting their own classes?
Are they not their to represent their countries sailing future?
Why do they have this power?
Time for the active sailors at this level – the ones who have taken the medals and the money, to speak up – or are they all too busy making sure they get on the America’s Cup gravy train?
Ges
Bonjour everyone,
I love high performance boats (as well as cat, windsurf, etc…) but I reckon that the fun of racing is not just to sail fast away from competition.
What I mean is that boats that requires very good tactical and sailing skills eventhough they are slow are a lot of fun to race.
Racing a Star or a Soling is as much fun as racing fast high performance boats or cats.
Racing is all about doing better than your opponents playing in very versatile field (water, wind, currents, waves, hardware, etc…).
So why be so upset about ISAF decisions ?
Sure 10 events does not represent what our sport is all about but at least we are still an olympic sport, after all.
And this is very important.
Ok.. as a woman sailor.. I have a few issues with ISAF.. I do believe that this latest decision has put sailing back a long way, in refusing to keep with the times, ISAF has once again gone for the safe option..
It is about time Women got something exciting to sail, but no.. thats far to much of a big call for isaf to make..
I sail lasers.. and let me tell you.. they are really not the most exciting of boats.. but then the only other option is a 470.. or match racing. and really.. the 470 is way past its use by date, it is outdated, over tuned.. and not by any means high performance.. I am not at all opposed to match racing.. but just the logistics of it all will be a nightmare.. it will not fit in easily with the current olympic circuit at all…
I thought that ISAF was trying to bring more women sailors into Olympic sailing, and what better way, than in a new fast exciting boat.. as a young sailor.. a skiff holds so much more appeal.. the 470 is just too technical, too much time needed on shore playing with settings.. the way of the future is one design.. and its fast.. so bring on the skiff…
In answer to those postings of Mike and ben, I think it significant that they are ignoring the feelings of the vast majority that Olympic sailing is at risk. The events selected are not a safe option – they are a no change one that put us even more at risk by not modernising.
For the people who do not understand, it has been flagged VERY clearly that any sport that does not make itself more appealing to tv audiences and the general public is at risk of termination as an olympic sport. HOW DEEP CAN ISAF BURY THEIR HEADS IN THE SAND??? It is this issue that must be understood, and the missed opportunity for REAL enthusiasts such as Andy Rice and others including myself is hugely frustrating.
That’s about as bizarre as it gets. The only things they got right were ditching the yngling and keeping the finn. Everything else is wrong. Women need a skiff, not match racing. TV needs the tornado and nobody needs or wants the Star. These are decisions which are about as out of tune with sailing as it is possible to get. It is no wonder that our future at the olympics is in jeopardy with decisions like these.
What a sad day and great disappointment that ISAF have dropped the multihull event from the 2012 Olympic Games, this suggests that ISAF are not in touch with the current sport of sailing and the boats that are sailed worldwide.
Multihulls are sailed globally in large numbers and the Tornado has represented this aspect of sailing at the Olympic games. To drop multihull sailing from the Olympics excludes this large sector of sailing from representation at Olympic level and devalues the sport.
The Tornado has become a much more popular boat to sail since the update to the rig and introduction of the kite. This is also due to more ex Olympic boats being available in the market and the attraction to youth sailors who have moved into the class in an attempt to represent their country in a boat that offers true exhilaration and excitement to sail. It is very sad that ISAF have not recognised this.
Here was an opportunity to ditch the heavy weight dinghy and to retain a boat that offered speed, excitement, and exhilaration. A sad day ISAF that we may be retaining a boat that is ancient in its design and does not truly represent the sport of sailing throughout the world.
ISAF have also missed an opportunity to give the ladies a performance boat to sail at the Olympics. This is a boat that will help to attract more young female sailing athletes to the sport. The current up and coming women youth must be extremely disappointed that modern boats they are currently sailing will not be represented at the Olympics and all of the training they have done at youth level will have to be redirected to the 470, not an attractive option, and what were the ladies performance boat trials all about when they have been completely ignored.
A waste of time and money ISAF.
Why, oh why do we have match racing at the Olympics. Men’s match racing was ditched years ago, why will women’s be any different.
Another aspect of sailing that is generally ignored at Olympic level is that many boats around the world are sailed by mixed crews. Let’s have a dinghy or high performance boat that is specifically for mixed crews. This would be more representative of sailing at grass roots level.
At the November 2008 meeting ISAF are due to select the classes that are to be used for the sailing events at the 2012 Olympics. Come on ISAF use this to select classes that are representative of boats sailed worldwide.
There are keel boats that could be introduced that are more representative of sailing throughout the world. The SB3, to name one, could be introduced for men and women – 3 male crew and 4 female crew. This would offer more exciting sailing for both sexes, and a better spectator event.
Think again about the ladies high performance dinghy.
Come on ISAF, think again, let’s have classes sailed at the Olympics that are more representative of the sailing world and ditch some of the old outdated boats
that are well past their sell by date, and should be consigned to history. Let’s take this opportunity to have Olympic sailing that is representative of the sport and good to compete in and to watch.
Consider the following list of classes
Men’s single hander Ladies single hander
Men’s High Performance dinghy Ladies high performance dinghy
Men’s keel boat – 3 person Ladies keel boat – 4 crew person
Men’s windsurfer Ladies windsurfer
Multihull Mixed crew Performance dinghy
I am so agree..! Why are they aloud to decide what we are suppose to sail.? I was at the world youth this year, and we got a dame good skiff fleet! So why not have that in the Olympics?
When we heard about the decision, we start crying! HOW CAN THEY DO THAT TO US!? Why do they have that power, listen to us got dammed..! The day before the experts (event committee) came up with this solution: drop the yngling and the star, and keep the tornado and put on the skiff. It was the perfect solution.!
…But no, the guys who made the final decision is all over 50 years! How can they know what is best for us? They voted against the members and the events committee.
BUT, as Pete said, : They said that the procedure would have to be reopened if they did not adopt the suggestions of the events.
And as far as I can see, no one in here likes the decision, so:
Pete, what are we suppose to do to make them reopen the procedure?
Andy, many thanks for your response, I must disagree on one point, I don’t feel confident about either the Finn or sailing staying in the Olympics. I feel that ISAF can change it’s mind before 2012 classes are cast in stone. Also, it appears that all sports away from the popular centre of activities are under threat, probably those requiring horses first, but I expect we’ll be next. Possibly the IOC see these sports as marginal and expensive in a media driven world and however much we do to make sailing look exciting to the general viewer, we will not hold their attention while the real interest unfolds, it is probably just a bit too subtle for popular TV! I hope I’m wrong but I always was a stressed pessimist.Mike
ok so no one likes the decision.i still don’t think it so bad aside from the decision not to have a womens skiff. Having sailed a 29er i definitely think the women should have a skiff.
But now i see from these responses, and having read your previous articles, that the decision making process is wrong. my question is this; are the people that vote anserable to anyone? and how can they go against the events comitees? andy pheraps you could try and interview someone and get them to explain exactly how they made their decision. it seems to me beyond explanation.
Lastly, however, if the olypics is going to be driven by tv coverage then sailing will one day be out. sailing doesn’t work on tv unless you understand it. not many of the wider public do. anyway is it not a sad ay for sport as a whole if the only thing that matters is how it looks on tv?
The Olympics – a festival where the Youth of the world is meeting!
I think the problem is, that all those Federations, Associations, Committees are run by old men. Even the clubs are dominated by old blokes, who had their times in the Sixties and Seventies. They did their thing when they were young, but now let the Young take the rudder!
I agree with Darren Bundock, if the old blokes do not retire, the Young must run their own circuits.
I can understand young people like Katrine.
The ISAF blocks the development of young sailors. ISAF blocks the development of new boats. They prevent young sailors from taking part at THEIR Olympics!
If ISAF insists in oldfashioned boats and sailors, then why not reduce the whole olympic sailing program to 60-feet-wooden-Schooners with cotton sails? Back to the roots!
And Katrine, why not try to found an own club, an own regatta circuit. Impossible? Look at the windsurfers, not the olympic ones, look at the Nashes, Caprinas etc. Live and have fun, while Olympic sailing is dying.