The British Sailing Team and British Youth Sailing have joined forces to launch Crew4Gold . . .
This new initiative follows on from 2018’s Kite4Gold that led to the creation of a strong squad of female kite riders.
Crew4Gold is aimed at finding crews for the women’s two-person 49erFX class, added in the 2016 Games, and where Britain has yet to medal.
In an effort to widen the selection at this late stage of the Paris 2024 Olympic quadrennial, the British Sailing Team has stressed that the programme is open to anyone with the passion and drive to succeed at Olympic level.
Crucially, you don’t have to be a sailor to take part in Crew4Gold.
The main requirements are . . . British females aged between 14 and 25 who are over 1.68m (5ft 6ins) tall, fiercely competitive and highly motivated to succeed.
The first part of the programme is from May to October, working in collaboration with the Andrew Simpson Foundation at all-ability camps aimed to help all athletes develop their crewing skills in a variety of boats.
Applicants must be available to join Crew4Gold ahead of the summer season and to attend training camps at WPNSA on the South Coast of England from May through August.
Progress will be reviewed in October and successful applicants will progress to the next phase of the programme.
This is a deliberate move away from the historical results-based pathway into elite level sailing, focusing much more on the potential of someone to become a world-class athlete.
Crew4Gold applications are now open,to apply click here . . . and will close on 9 May 2023.
Jack Grundy, the RYA’s Performance Pathway Manager, said: “Historically athletes have been put forward for these roles based on past performances in sailing, but this limits the talent search to those already in the pathway.”
“With this programme, we are switching our approach to look more at the raw ingredients required to become a world-class athlete, whether they’re a seasoned sailor or have never set foot in a boat before.”
For enquiries about Crew4Gold please contact [email protected]
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