RYA praises ISAF re-think
http://sailjuiceblog.com/ Andy Rice | April 4, 2008
The Royal Yachting Association has welcomed the International Sailing Federation’s move to reconsider the slate of sailing events for the 2012 Olympic Games.
It’s press statement says:
A controversial decision by ISAF Council during its annual conference in November 2007 led to the decision not to include a modern high performance dinghy for women, the expulsion of the multihull event and the introduction of a match racing format for the women’s keelboat event.
The RYA lobbied ISAF and fellow Member National Authorities, believing that the decisions taken were not in the best interests of the sport of sailing throughout the world, and requested that ISAF reviewed its decision on three grounds:
- That the current list of events will not maximise media interest.
- That the decisions are likely to attract fewer nations and young sailors into the sport of sailing
- That an amendment to the previously agreed voting procedure was hasty, and the process ultimately used for selecting events was flawed.
ISAF has agreed to re-open the discussion surrounding the sailing events for 2012 at its mid-year conference at Qingdao, China, in May.
RYA Chief Executive Rod Carr said: “We welcome the opportunity ISAF have presented to us to have a full and frank debate on these issues at the mid-year meetings.
“We believe the original decisions at the November conference were made in haste, and with many delegates not having a clear understanding of the issues involved and the process concerned.
“We hope that the meetings next month will pave the way for an inclusive and modern slate of events which will showcase our sport in the best possible light in 2012.”
Links from story:
Question: Can a multihull be considered a dinghy? If yes, why? If no, why not? click here
Equipment submissions for 2012 Olympics. Click here to read
(Note YNZ submission: Finn, Musto Skiff, Laser, Laser Radial, 470, 49er, Star, 29er XX, Sportboat.)
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YNZ Submission to ISAF
Below is a submission from Yachting New Zealand made to ISAF regarding the Men’s & Open Events for the 2012 Olympic Regatta…
March 12, 2008
Introduction
The decision by the Council in November 2007 to eliminate the Open Multihull event from the 2012 Olympic Games has caused controversy among some of the sailing community.
Yachting New Zealand considers that the discussion on the events slate should not be considered urgent for the May mid year meeting of ISAF but that it should be carefully considered and discussed at the year end meeting to be held in November 2008.
The requirement to eliminate one event from the slate for the 2012 Olympics was going to be an issue for those sailors in the event that was dropped, and this has proven to be the case for the multihull stakeholders. The situation would, without doubt, have been similar if the men’s keelboat had been dropped instead of the open multihull. In addition, the differing conclusions reached by the Events Committee and Council have stretched confidence in both strategy and process around determining the right format of events for sailing in the Olympics.
It is our view that the men’s keelboat and open multihull events equally represent large and vital sectors of the sailing landscape. The multihull is also the only open event in the repertoire. The removal of either of these events can only represent a major loss for sailing as a whole. The argument can keep revolving as to the respective merits of these events in meeting ISAF’s and IOC’s criteria, resulting in the ultimate decision made by Council.
Our view is that a bolder approach is needed and a new initiative launched by ISAF’s leadership as proposed below.
Submission 1
Yachting New Zealand urges ISAF to take all possible steps to persuade the IOC to reinstate eleven events for the 2012 Olympic Regatta so that a more strategic approach to events can be taken towards 2016.
Submission 2
The events for the Olympic slate shall be broadly representative of the major sailing disciplines within the sport, including retaining the men’s keelboat and the open multihull.
Current Position
Council decided in November 2007 to select the following 6 events for Men/Open competitors in the 2012 Olympic Regatta:
* Windsurfer
* 1 person dinghy
* 1 person dinghy (heavy)
* 2 person dinghy
* 2 person dinghy (high performance)
* Keelboat
The open multihull was eliminated in order to reduce these events from 7 to 6.
Reasons
The elimination of the multihull is not in the interest of our sport and is questionable in relation to Rule 16.1.5 (a). However we do not support the view that there should simply be a vote between the multihull and the keelboat, to determine which of these two events is eliminated. Any action which resulted in the elimination of the men’s keelboat as an alternative to dropping the multihull would result in much the same arguments being advanced to defend a men’s keelboat event remaining in the Olympics.
In order to make a major strategic change such as this - reducing events from 11 to 10 – the timing horizon needs to be extended to 2016. A longer planning timescale may allow a strategic rather than a political view to prevail. Many MNA’s have significant funding for their Olympic and High Performance development programmes from sources which require medal results as a condition for continued funding. Without this funding it would be impossible to ensure the depth of development of sailors, especially for MNAs like New Zealand where the sailors have to be funded to undertake Northern Hemisphere campaigns for regattas and training. This requirement for funding, results in a short term view by most MNAs when considering the event slate for the following Olympic Games. Given a longer lead time on the decision, particular events may assume less importance in this regard and a more strategic and ‘overall good’ approach may be taken. The focus can move from ‘what is good for me’ to ‘what is good for the sport’?
Jan Dawson
President
Des Brennan
Chief Executive
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Yachting NZ backs cutting Tornado cats from Olympics.. (NZPA | Tuesday, 13 November 2007)
The number of yachting events at the London Games will be reduced from 11 to 10, and the Isaf council has opted to cut the men’s multihull category.
The council’s decision at the weekend has been attacked by sailors overseas, who are also unhappy that other classes with greater spectator appeal than existing ones were not introduced.
Voting over which men’s events would be sailed in 2012 boiled down to either the multihull or the keelboat (at present the Star class) being cast adrift after next year’s Beijing Olympics.
New Zealand won Tornado gold in 1984 and silver in 1988, both through the crew of Rex Sellers and Chris Timms.
But New Zealand’s representative voted in favour of retaining the keelboat category ahead of the multihull.
YNZ chief executive Des Brennan said New Zealand at present had greater strength in keelboats than in multihulls.
“Certainly in some countries there are some very unhappy people,” he said of the Isaf decision.
“At the end of the day, the multihull classes in New Zealand are a lot less strong than many of the other classes and that’s just the way things are at the moment.”
Last year, New Zealanders Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams won the Star world championship.
Brennan said Isaf was faced with a number of considerations when deciding what events would be sailed at Weymouth, on the English south coast.
They included broadening the appeal of yachting, increasing participation numbers and keeping costs down.
Sellers’ son Brett, himself a Tornado sailor and hoping to make it to next year’s Olympics, said he was “pretty disappointed” at the Isaf decision.
“The whole Isaf philosophy is to make sailing more exciting and media friendly,” he said.
“I just don’t think excluding the Tornado, which is the fastest and most exciting boat, goes along with that.”
On the issue of cost, he didn’t believe that, once a Tornado had been purchased, it was that much more expensive to run than any other Olympic yacht.
Sellers was hoping to help New Zealand qualify for the Beijing Olympics in the Tornado class at the world championships in Auckland in February.
The last four of 16 spots are up for grabs at the regatta at Takapuna.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4271905a1823.html
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Information from Tornado.org
March 12 2008
http://www.tornado.org/info/index.asp
The ISAF Decision
“To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.” - Winston Churchill
The ISAF decision to propose a slate of events to the International Olympic Committee for 2012 that fails to include a multihull has caused a wide range of reactions and comments.
It is encouraging that so many sailors have spoken out and that many national sailing federations are now calling for the decision to be overturned.
The Need For Knowledge
At the same time, it has become apparent that multihulls and multihull racing are not well understood by many sailors, some federations, or ISAF itself.
Multihull sailing spans a very wide spectrum, but the information offered here is limited to matters that are important for Olympic sailing. It does not address recreational sailing or racing; or open water racing, where multihulls completely dominate the record books.
Most of these fact sheets are applicable to multihulls in general, but there is also information that speaks directly to the standards set by the Tornado.
Two of the fact sheets address sport-wide issues that are self-evident to multihull sailors: only top quality equipment can actually be ‘one design’; and top quality equipment is less expensive, because is lasts longer and breaks less.
The fact sheets include:
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Box Rules and Multiclass Racing :: Basic Multihull DNA |
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One Design Racing :: Evolve or Perish |
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Equipment Quality :: Nuts, Bolts, and Laminates |
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Equipment Cost :: Total Cost Of Ownership |
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MNA Participation :: What Are the Odds |
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Media Excitement : Video and Venue |
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An Inconvenient History :: Multihulls in the Olympic Era |
http://www.tornado.org/html/news_article.asp?ArticleID=288
2008 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Complete News Listings and Archives
takapuna - Sunday, March 02, 2008
By mpg
The 2008 Annual General Meeting was held at the Takapuna Boating Club on 27 & 29 February 2008.
The Meeting drew strong attendance from the Tornado class members, who displayed great solidarity and common purpose in their determination to achieve the goal of seeing the Multihull Event restored to the 2012 Olympic Regatta; and confidence that the Tornado proves itself to be the high-performance Olympic standard, every time it goes on the water.
The Meeting focused on stepping up to the challenge, with sailors from every part of the class making commitments to do their part.
In particular, a number of the great champions of the Class have come forward to take on key roles:
- 2007 World Silver Medalist and former Rolex Sailor of the Year, Carolijn Brouwer (BEL), will serve as President
- 2008 and 6-time World Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist, Darren Bundock (AUS), will serve as a Vice-President
- 2007 European Champion and 2-time 470 World Champion, Koastas Trigonis (GRE), will also serve as a Vice-President
- 2007 World Champion and 2005 Rolex Sailor of the Year, Fernando Echavarri (ESP), will continue as a member of the Class Committee
Retiring President, Michael Grandfield (USA), was unanimously elected Commodore of Honour, which confers both a lifetime honour for exceptional service to the class and a continuation of service on the class Committee.
As the Minutes show, the Class is now aligned and focused on restoring its place in the 2012 Olympic Regatta.
2008 World Championship Event Summary
Read more at www.tornado.org
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