The Finn class has announced details of its plans to try to ‘rebalance the slate’ of Olympic sailing events, providing events suitable for both Heavyweight Men and Lightweight Women.
The International Finn Association (IFA) claims that:
Within the Slate of Olympic Sailing events voted for in Sarasota in 2018 there is an imbalance in sailor’s physiques, a key policy of the World Sailing Council from its November 2017 meetings and a key IOC recommendation.
The Finn class is trying to redress this imbalance by working on several Submissions for the November Conference in Bermuda this year that will rebalance the Olympic Slate, providing events suitable for both Heavyweight Men and Lightweight Women.
The submissions from the IFA will not mean removing the innovative new events that World Sailing is working so hard to introduce. They would however mean that Kiteboarding becomes a Men’s event matched by a female Windsurfing event.
The Mixed Two Person Dinghy becomes a Women’s event matched by the reintroduction of the One Person Dinghy (Heavyweight Men).
It will be a balanced slate that allows for the widest possible spread of participation across genders, weights and nations within the constraints laid down by the IOC.
The IFA is looking forward to continuing to work closely with all of the people that have expressed so much support for the fantastic athletes that exist within the class.
These are competitors who will form the backbone of sailing for generations to come. The Finn class is building a strong base of support for the changes that are being proposed, and these proposals will be published in full at a later date.
If you believe you can help and are not already in contact with the IFA then get in touch ([email protected]) to help them build a better balanced and more representative slate of Olympic events for 2024.
The World Sailing Annual Conference is from 26 Oct to 3 Nov 2019 in Bermuda.
