How to calm the storm?

January 11, 2019

      How to calm the storm?
      The recent decisions of World Sailing concerning changes in the Olympic sailing program-2024, have caused a stream of responses, sometimes quite dramatic, on the pages of the foreign sailing press, both print and electronic.

The other day the decisions of the international federation in an interview with the site www.yachtracing.life were commented on by the sports director of the British Royal Yacht Association Ian Walker. The man he is in the world of sail is famous: he twice became a prize-winner of the Olympics, was a coach of the crew that won Olympic gold, and then three times participated in the Volvo Ocean Race around the world as a skipper.

A series of statements by Walker seemed interesting to us. So, he, in particular, said in an interview:

– The sailing program proposed for Games-2024 reflects the real – and significant – changes that occur in our sport. But because of the changes, many have pinched the heart: the number of types of the sailing program has remained the same – ten, which means new ones should come in the place of the old, familiar disciplines. And if many people reacted to kiteboarding more or less calmly, then the upcoming appearance in the program of a cruising keel-two yacht, besides mixed, caused a real storm.

In fact, from my point of view, the potentially program for the Games-2024 is really exciting. We will have singles and twos, we will have Scythians, several mixed disciplines, an offshore race, kiteboarding and windsurfing.

If one of the main goals of the Olympic competitions is to demonstrate the amazing diversity of our sport to the whole world, then the best program cannot be desired! From this point of view, the result, in my opinion, is really positive. Another thing is that we in Britain would very much like to keep the Finn program, because in this discipline we received gold at the last five Olympiads. And we are going to perform as successfully in the future.

On the other hand, we must not forget that over the past hundred years people have become taller and weigh more. At the same time in the sailing program of the Games with the disappearance of "Finn" there will no longer be discipline for big men. But why? Is this fair?
***
This is not the only question asked by Ian Walker. A lot of them to the leadership of the international federation has accumulated in our Yacht Russia, and, we are sure, among our readers.

So, we are pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached: World Sailing President Kim Andersen will answer the questions of our magazine. And I want to believe, he will explain a lot of things that so far we all remain incomprehensible.

496 January 11, 2019 # 8717
                                                    
      
    

Chief Editor

Calmstorm