- 53rd Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères from 23 to 30 April
British sailing team members will be looking to build-on their flying start to the season at the recent World Cup Trofeo Sofia Olympic classes regatta in Mallorca.
In Mallorca GB team members took six medals from ten events, including Gold for Mike Beckett in ILCA 7 and Andrew Brown in the IQ Foil.
At SOF Hyeres some 34 British entries are expected across the ten events, fewer than in the recent Mallorca regatta, but still a strong showing.
One top name not appearing is 49er gold medalist Dylan Fletcher, now sailing with new crew Rhos Hawes.
Apparently they have not been able to get their boat back upto speed following breakages in Palma, where they only finished two races.
The SOF Hyères is not a World Cup event, but does feature the ten Olympic classes that will compete in Marseille for the Paris 2024 Games, and entries have been received from more than 50 countries, with 630+ registered entries including the world’s best Olympic sailors, to make the Hyères event an exceptional edition.
The combination of the considerable change of equipment for the 2024 Games, combined with retirements from the British sailing squad, presents the opportunity for a sweeping change to the make-up of the 2024 Team GB squad.
World Sailing may have backed some wrong ‘horses’ in their cack-handed equipment selection process for 2024, but after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – and major paymaster – made their opinion clear, they quickly fell into line.
The resulting last minute equipment/event selection may not be ideal and is likely to be tweaked as the IOC continues its drive to cheaper, more easily accessed, youth focussed events.
Which for sailing is likely to mean a move to simpler board events, as we have seen in other areas of the Games.
The Winter Olympics was particularly impressive in revitalising itself with new variations of traditional events . . . a case of change or be changed if your sport is to continue within the considerable IOC media window.
Following on from Hyeres will be the Hempel World Cup, Allianz Olympic Classes Regatta at Medemblik, Holland in early June, with the ILCA 7 (Laser) Worlds and the iQFoil Europeans squeezed in during May.
Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères – 34 British entries:
Radial – 70 entries
*Hannah Snellgrove
*Matilda Nicholls
*Daisy Collingridge
Aya haji-Michael
Laser – 139 entries
*Dan Whiteley
*Elliot Hanson
*Sam Whaley
*Mike Becket
James Percival-Cooke
Ben Flower
Jacob Farren-Price
Jack Hopkins
470 – 59 entries
*Martin Wrigeley and Eilidh McIntyre
*Vita Heathcote and Ryan Orr
Nacra 17 – 34 entries
*John Gimson and Anna Burnet
Dan Tindale and Hebe Hemming
49er Men – 66 entries
*Chris Taylor and James Gummett
*James Peters and Fynn Sterritt
*Nick Robins and Dan Budden
Arran Holman and James Taylor
49erFX – 45 entries
*Megan Brickwood and Stephanie Orton
*Freya Black and Saskia Tidey
*Hannah Bristow and Anna Carpenter
Isabella Fellows and ??
IQ Foil Women – 39 entries
*Emma Wilson
IQ Foil Men – 63 entries
*Samuel Sills
Kite men – 69 entries
*Connor Bainbridge
*Guy Bridge
Jack Mckendrick
Kite Women – 41 entries
*Jemima Crathorne
*Lily Young
*Madeleine Anderson
*Katie Dobson
Ellie Aldridge
Note: * Sailing Team Member
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