We are fast approaching the most important ISAF Annual Conference of the next four years. It is always immediately after the Games that we see the Racing Rules amended, and the Olympic sailors get to know what boats they will be sailing at the next Games. I will be interested to see what changes with the Rules. Four years ago, we dinghy sailors were no longer required to fly protest flags but could simply hail ‘Protest!' Whilst I welcomed this at the time, this rule change has been a mixed blessing, as I don't think the mere verbal threat of hailing the word always has the desired effect. Breaking out a red flag is a firm statement of intent in way that a verbal warning isn't. ISAF should bring back the red flag.
The other big topic for discussion is the selection of the Olympic classes. I've never seen this process take place at close quarters, so it will be interesting to witness some of this for myself in Copenhagen. From the outside looking in, it has always seem like a complete and utter mess, with the fundamental problem being that those with vested or commercial interests are the ones getting to choose the classes. What a recipe for disaster.
The first thing that's wrong is selecting the classes just four years out from the next Games. When the 49er was selected eight years ago, some sailors waited for the best part of a year before they could get their hands on a boat, such was the deluge of orders. And spares were so scarce that if you broke a mast, that was the end of your regatta.
I imagine it was a similar state of disarray for the Yngling sailors after the keelboat was chosen for the women four years ago. And at least the 49er is a nice boat, something you don't often hear said about the Yngling. ‘Humpty Dumpty goes sailing' is the way that fellow Y&Y scribe Magnus Wheatley described it recently. Even the main beneficiary of the Yngling's selection, our gold medallist Shirley Robertson, finds it hard to have nice things to say about this plodding dinosaur. Not only that, but now the Yngling is bidding to replace the Star as the Men's Keelboat. Heaven help us - and Iain Percy!
So, how do we change things for the better?
1. Select the Olympic classes six years before the Games that you want them to appear in. That gives time for the dust to settle and a new class to find its feet with all the added responsibilities that go with being an Olympic class. Selecting a class just four years beforehand means the sailors have barely had time to get to grips with the new boat, and associated equipment manufacturers are overwhelmed with orders, à la 49er.
2. Next thing, wipe out the silly rule that only established International classes are eligible for selection. The one recent exception was the 49er, which Paul Henderson railroaded through the selection process eight years ago. It was a brand new class, but hardly surprisingly, within a year of being given Olympic status there were almost 500 boats distributed around the world. Almost overnight it qualified as an International class. The existing rule is like putting the cart before the horse, and if ISAF stick with this restrictive system, we are limiting future Olympic classes to old dinosaurs that are already well past their sell-by date, such as the Yngling. I struggle to think of one class that's been launched in the past 10 years to have earned its International wings. That means no RS boats, and none of the recent generation of Topper or Laser products, nor innovative new designs like the Musto Skiff are currently eligible.
3. Select classes either for their televisual appeal or for their affordability, or ideally both. Let's deal with affordability first. I often hear the argument that the cost of the boat is a tiny fraction of the overall cost of campaigning, and that may well be the case for the well-funded sailors giving themselves the best possible chance of a medal. But for others, just getting to the Games and being able to compete is their goal. We shouldn't sniff at those with lower expectations. The Olympics isn't just about winning medals. Expensive boats like the Star, Yngling and Tornado make it impossible for all but the wealthiest nations or wealthy individuals from poorer nations to compete. If they can at least make the start line of the Olympics, they get a shot at a medal, and even if they don't they are helping to put sailing in the spotlight back in their home nation.
This brings me to the other criterion I mentioned, that of televisual appeal. For minority sports like sailing, the Olympic Games are a once-every-four-years opportunity to showcase the sport to the rest of the world. Hopefully, a tiny fraction of those watching might be inspired by what they see, and tempted to look closer into taking up the sport for themselves. Of course, Athens was not the greatest example, and that was largely down to the dire wind conditions that prevailed for most of the fortnight. But even in the lighter winds, the faster boats like the 49er and Tornado still looked athletic and exciting. Most of the other classes looked as dull as dull can be, including the Laser. But at least the Laser justifies itself in the affordability stakes. Many of the other classes are neither cheap to own nor exciting to watch. Great to sail, they may be, and we certainly shouldn't rule that out as a consideration, but the sport must do its best to be visually appealing to the spectator too.
4. Once a class is selected, it seems it is there for life. In fact, the Star has been there longer than a lifetime and at 52 years old the Finn is well into middle age. Actually, both these classes have other merits as Olympic boats, but every boat should have to requalify itself for selection. My proposal would be that ISAF lays down the criteria for the class that it is looking for, in the way that it did in the selection trials that culminated in the 49er being chosen, and more recently the Neil Pryde RS-X as the replacement sailboard for the Mistral. Why not do this for every class? That way, boatbuilders are invited to design and build a prototype to bring to the ISAF trial, the sailors and selectors choose the one they like the most, and that class is then guaranteed inclusion in the next three Olympic cycles. After three Olympics are up, another trial takes place to find the next boat that best meets the criteria. If the Star continues to win the keelboat selections, then it stays there because people want it, not just because ‘that's the way it's always been'.
ISAF president Paul Henderson has strong views on this same subject. He recently published an open letter, some of which is shown below. Although I would take issue with him many of his views, and the confrontational approach that seems to have made him very unpopular in some circles, I do agree with his mantra of ‘Talent not Technology'. Yes, technology is a strong part of our sport, but in the Games it just means that the sailors with the deepest wallets have the greatest chance of winning. Truly talented sailors will win regardless of whether you put them in a hi-tech racing machine or a bath tub. Here is what Henderson has to say:
As I am not running for any office and do not have to worry about being politically correct, I can openly say what I personally believe, although really that never bothered me before.
Overview
Olympics should err on the side of ‘Talent not Technology'. The corollary of that is that it is the athlete that is important not the Class or Format. In fact the sailors will sail whatever class that is picked on the courses decided, and the best sailors still win no matter what ISAF prescribes. It is personalities that the Olympic Media wants, not the high-tech aspects or speed of the equipment. The Olympics are for individuals and are nationalistic.
Specific Observations
Sailing will be limited to 11 Events and 400 sailors for Quingdao. Four Events will be for women and in practice the other seven are for men although women could compete in the ‘Open' Events against the men. In 1996 the women's participation was 19% and in Athens was guaranteed to be over 35% which has been a major step forward.
It is essential that the equipment and accessibility to equal equipment should be a priority in at least 5 of the 11 events.
Single Events
I believe this is the essence of the Olympics and if ISAF could find a way I would have four single events with one women's and one men's event having supplied equipment like ISAF does with the Laser which has continued to be the most popular Class in the Games, even though it was conceived in Canada over 30 years ago. It should be noted that the Class has resisted any changes to the original concept, putting the emphasis on the sailor rather than high-tech development.
Catamarans
I am a strong supporter of Cats as they must be sailed and Kinetics has very little effect. I would have two Cats, one of which is a simple off-the-beach class and possibly make it Mixed Doubles which would push women's participation over 40%.
Other Observations
Olympics are not meant to be representative of the total sport but are only meant to show a piece of each sport's spectrum. There appears to be NO move to replace any class except in Windsurfing. With 11 Events, ISAF can accommodate some classes where technology is a factor but the focus in at least 5 of the 11 should be on supplied, equal, simple equipment. The classes should be chosen where accommodating all sizes of sailor is the priority.
The Star and Finn are for heavyweights and Windsurfing for lightweights, Tornado and 49ers are for medium weights with the Yngling for a mix of weights. Match Racing was dropped as the result of ISAF Council voting to have the Star remain instead of the Soling. I look upon this as ‘Format' and is not a requirement for the Olympics although it did add to the promotion of the sport.
Plenty of food for thought here. For China in 2008, boat selection sounds like it could be the least of our problems. The first priority is to ensure the sailors have some wind to actually go sailing in. But I hope the forthcoming conference in Copenhagen marks the beginning of some much-needed reform.
