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As an Olympic sport, sailing has always been problematic. It struggles to fit the fundamental “faster, higher, stronger” precept. There are just too many significant variables beyond the control of the athletes taking part, and too much reliance on complex – and fragile – equipment. Through more than a century of Olympic sailing we have seen scores of classes come and go. Many were hailed as the way of the future; most have lapsed into the backwaters of the sport, and even into extinction. (Seen many O-Jollies out there lately? Snowbirds? 15 metres?)
So we shouldn’t be surprised that World Sailing and the International Olympic Committee have got their mainsheets in a twist over the untested mixed-gender, two-handed offshore race proposed for Paris 2024. What was hailed just a year ago as an exciting breakthrough for sailing now looks like it might not happen at all. This is a mess of their own making. World Sailing proposed the event to secure their 10th medal competition and in response to heavy pressure from the European nations where two-handed offshore racing is booming…
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