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Sailing at the Olympics

Sailing has been one of the Olympic sports since the first Olympic Games (known as yachting until 2000). The first events in 1896 were canceled, and it was not included in the 1904 program, but has been in every other Olympic program. See also our info about Kiteboarding and Windsurfing at the Olympics.

Sailing race

Current Olympic Sailing Events (Tokyo 2020)

Men's
RS:X – windsurf
Laser – one-person dinghy
Finn – heavyweight one-person dinghy
470 – two-person dinghy
49er – skiff

Women's
RS:X – windsurf
Laser Radial – one-person dinghy
470 – two-person dinghy
49er FX – skiff

Mixed
Nacra 17 - multihull

Changes for Paris 2024

At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a kiteboarding event will be added to the sailing program. Formula Kite will be the official kiteboarding class, mixed-relay racing on boards with hydrofoils (Kite-foil racing). Formula Kite features a hydrofoil kiteboard and a ram-air kite. As a demonstration, kite-foil racing was an exhibition sport at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Changes for Tokyo 2020

Compared to the 2016 Games, there have been no changes to competition events.

Changes for Rio 2016

The International Sailing Federation announced in May 2012 that kitesurfing would replace windsurfing for the 2016 Rio Olympics, but this was later overturned. Compared to the 2012 Games, there have been several changes to competition events. Both women's (Elliott 6m) and men's (the Star) keelboat events have been taken off the program. Multi-hulls have returned, represented by the Nacra 17. A women's skiff event has been added, represented by the 49erFX. The Sailing Competition of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games will take place on Marina da Gloria in Guanabara Bay.

2012 London Games

There were two changes from the Beijing 2008 sailing events. A new event for the 2012 Summer Olympics was Women's Keelboat Match Racing, using the Elliott 6m. The Women's Match Race replaced the Yngling competition and the Tornado Class Catamaran competition has been dropped.

Trivia

Sailing at the Olympic Games was known as yachting until 1996.
Sailing was scheduled for the first Olympics, however the races had to be canceled due to no boats being available from Greece and there being no foreign entries.
The sailing regattas in Paris in 1900 took place in two locations, though both on the Seine. This was due to the big draught of certain boats which prevented them from navigating the river.
At the 1912 Games the 6m class yacht race winner was the French winner "Mac Miche", crewed by the three Thube brothers.
For the first and only time in Olympic history, in 1920 the 12-foot dinghy event in sailing was held in two different countries. The early races were held in Belgium, but final two races in the event were held in the Netherlands, as the only two competitors in the event were Dutch.
Women competed with the men in the early Olympic sailing races and all events remained mixed until the 1988 Games when the first exclusively women’s race was held.
Sailing is one of only two Olympic sports where men and women compete against each other, (though in sailing it is only the 49er class that is still open to both sexes). The other sport is equestrian.
Ralph Craig of the USA was 23 years old when he won gold medals in the 100m and 200m sprints in 1912. He returned to Olympic competition 36 years later, to compete in the yachting competition at the 1948 Olympics.
The best all-time performing Sailor at the Olympic Games is Ben Ainslie of Great Britain who won 4 golds and 1 silver between 1996–2012. See more on the Greatest Sailors at the Olympics.