By Tim Jeffery, Telegraph (May 8, 2008)
Want an object lesson in how a governing body diminishes itself in the eyes
of those it represents? Then look no further than the twist and turns the
International Sailing Federation is making over the selection of events for
the 2012 London Games. The latest instant is whether ISAF has actually
listened to a chorus concern over the vote taken last November to cull
multihulls from the Olympics in reducing the sailing events from 11 to 10.
It’s heard it, of that there is no doubt, but hearing and listening are not
the same.

On the eve of revisiting this decision, which effectively removed the
Tornado catamaran from the Games, ISAF’s executive has issued its own urgent
submission ahead of the mid-year meetings in Qingdao saying that if the
Council reaffirms its vote from six months ago, the matter is done and
dusted. Just like a government, a governing body will always be the object
of dissatisfaction if it makes unpopular choices. But just as there has been
paucity of what would have been a better slate of 10 events for 2012 from
those objecting to the multihull’s demise, so too has there been absence of
any sign ISAF is encouraging further discussion let alone leading it.

That November vote was contentious on several counts. The two key ones were
that the council voted against the recommendation of its own Events
Committee. And that the way in which it was taken was changed overnight
before the vote. Both now make ISAF an easy target for legitimate criticism.

Some 15 national authorities such as the RYA have subsequently made
submissions to ISAF, as have two class associations, to say ‘hang-on, you’ve
just voted out a distinct branch of the sport by getting rid of multihulls.
Is this want you really meant to do?’. Even ISAF acknowledges the degree of
correspondence the November decision created. This weekend the ISAF Council
sits down again at its mid-year meetings, staged in the Olympic sailing
venue of Qingdao. — Read on: http://tinyurl.com/67g4c3