ISAF set to revise Sailing World Cup series
Written by RYA | 20 November 2013
A new annual 'ISAF Sailing World Championships for the Olympic Classes’ announced
The International Sailing Federation looks set to revamp its global Olympic Class events structure, with the ISAF Sailing World Cup and the individual Class World Championships due to be replaced by a new annual ‘ISAF Sailing World Championships for the Olympic Classes’.
The decision was taken during ISAF Council meeting, part of ISAF’s week-long Annual Conference held in Muscat, Oman (9-16 November), with ISAF’s Executive now empowered to develop a new event concept that was presented to its membership.
However, there are still serious organisational, logistical and practical hurdles to overcome before sailors and MNAs will be in a position to commit to the concept.
Under the new format, the new World Championships would conclude with a Grand Final of the top ten boats in each class, with those Grand Final berths earned via four preceding World Championship Rounds and a Class Championship Round.
The World Championship Rounds would see a limited fleet of 25 boats per class, with leading sailors offered a ‘tour card’ to compete via an annual system of promotion and relegation.
The Class Championship Round, managed by each Olympic Class, would see potentially larger fleet sizes, providing an opportunity for the best Olympic Class sailors from all nations to compete with the elite tour card holders with the aim of becoming a tour card holder the following year.
At the conclusion of the Grand Final, the winners in each class would be crowned ‘ISAF Sailing World Champion’.
Through the new system, ISAF aims to build a “clearly understood and professionally organised Olympic sailing annual calendar that each year crowns one undisputed World Champion in each Olympic Event and enables elite-level athletes, national teams, the Olympic Classes and ISAF to generate significant sporting and commercial value beyond the Olympic Games.”
Elsewhere at the ISAF Conference, delegates agreed to ‘lock in’ the current Olympic Classes equipment for the Tokyo 2020 Games, with ISAF seeking additional medals from the International Olympic Committee for 2020, with a view to including kiteboarding events if successful.
The format and schedule for the Rio 2016 Games were also confirmed, with the 2016 qualification system set for final approval by the IOC in February. The Rio Games format will see a 10 race series (2 races per day) for Finn, Laser, Laser Radial and 470 classes followed by a final race. The 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 will have a qualification series of 12 races with three races per day and one final race with the top ten boats competing. The Men's and Women's RS:X will in principle race a similar format but the number of races per day may be reviewed following the 2014 and 2015 Olympic test events.
Delegates also agreed to a merger between the International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) and ISAF, with the single governing body aiming to better serve the needs and interests of sailors with disabilities.
Great Britain’s double Olympic gold medallist Sarah Gosling (nee Webb) was also elected as Vice-Chair of ISAF’s Athletes’ Commission.