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470 CLASS STATEMENT ON WORLD SAILING EVENT DECISIONS FOR 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES

15 May 2018

At the World Sailing Council meeting on 14 May 2018 the remaining 5 events for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were decided including a Mixed Two-Person Dinghy event.

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In February 2018, World Sailing announced that the following Events and their Equipment would remain unchanged, with the remaining five events to be reviewed and finalized at World Sailing's Mid-Year Meetings,10-15 May 2018 in London, Great Britain:

Men's One Person Dinghy - Laser*
Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial*
Women's Skiff - 49erFX
Men's Skiff - 49er
Mixed Two Person Multihull - Nacra 17
*subject to separate equipment re-evaluation

Preceding the two-day Council Meeting, the Events Committee met on Saturday 12 May and debated  the events and equipment, voting to approve Submission M36-18. Submission M36-18 did not recommend to retain any Two-Person Dinghy events, so effectively would have removed the 470 Class from the Olympic programme.

On Monday 14 May 2018, the Events Committee recommendation was received by the Council, the final decision making body of World Sailing. The Council members, who represent groups of Member National Authorities (MNAs) around the world, were strong in their support to find the balance between introducing new events and equipment whilst maintaining continuity in the Olympic programme.

After an initial debate, with each Council member given 3 minutes to express their views on the events and equipment for the 2024 Olympic Games the decision making process got underway. After several rounds of voting, the final Council vote was between two submissions – M18-18 and M22-18 - both of which included the Mixed Two-Person Dinghy, Windsurfer Men, Windsurfer Women and Mixed Kite. The only difference between the two was the event choices for the remaining event, with Council members to decide whether to choose a Mixed Keelboat event and vote for submission M18-18 or a Mixed One-person Dinghy event and vote for Submission M22-18.

In the final vote, Submission M22-18 was approved and the equipment for these five events will now be decided in November 2018. The original submission M22-18 made it clear the intention was to retain the 470 for the Mixed Two-Person Dinghy event, but the World Sailing Regulations require any new event to be open to new equipment, which includes any equipment currently on the Olympic programme. However, logic dictates the intention is to retain the 470 and this was vocalized by Council Members in their support of M22-18.

Dimitris Dimou, President of the International 470 Class, commented, “At the Olympic Games, two Person 3-sail dinghy sailing represents mainstream sailing. Of course, the 470 Management Committee and supporters around the world would like to have retained both the Two-Person Dinghy Men and Two-Person Dinghy Women events for Paris 2024, but we were also aware of the need to bring in new events to the Olympic Programme. My goal was to ensure we at least maintained a Mixed Two-Person Dinghy at the Olympics, and this has been achieved.

“Now we will look ahead and work with sailors and stakeholders around the world to optimize the opportunities of a mixed concept and new race format."

Read World Sailing’s official press release at: http://www.sailing.org/news/86947.php

Writer: Luissa Smith