October 10, 2019
Evaluation Commission – for the hydrofoil
A few days ago, on Lake Garda in Italy, testing of five different models of sailing boards, which was conducted by the Evaluation Commission of the World Sailing Federation, was completed.
It was necessary to develop a recommendation for the World Sailing Council which model to use at the Olympics-2024 in Paris. This task was set at the semiannual conference of the Federation last May.
Twenty windsurfing masters from different countries, 10 women and men each (including our Maxim Oberemko), tested the RS models: X, Glide, iFoil, Formula Foil and Windfoil 1. Then each of the commission members presented their views on this question.
Many observers believed that athletes, and after them the commission, would prefer RS: X, because this model has been used at Olympic regattas since 2008. However, the unexpected happened.
The Commission, as it became known, preferred the rest of the model with the hydrofoil Starboard iFoil. This, however, does not mean that on the Olympic future RS: X you need to automatically put an end to it. The commission will prepare a report that will be submitted to the World Sailing Equipment Committee and reviewed during the annual federation congress in Bermuda. After which the final decision will be made by the World Sailing Council.
But the fact that clouds were gathering over RS: X is for sure.
125 October 10, 2019 # 9547
Chief Editor
