After a week of meetings, the AGM brought the 2018 Annual Conference to a close as they ratified the decisions made throughout the week, settling on the following slate of events for Olympic competition in 2024: Men’s One Person Dinghy (Laser) Women’s One Person Dinghy, (Laser Radial), Women’s Skiff (49erFX), Men’s Skiff (49er), Mixed Two Person Multihull (Nacra 17).
Although the decision was made, World Sailing’s Regulations allowed both the Events and Equipment to be amended if 75 percent of Council members voted in favor of making the change.
A lengthy debate on replacing the Mixed One-Person Dinghy Event with the Mixed Two Person Keelboat Offshore Event was held before 31 Council members voted in favor of voting on change with eight against and two abstaining. As the 75 percent minimum was exceeded, Council then voted with 29 members in favor of the Mixed Two Person Keelboat Offshore with nine against and two abstentions. World Sailing’s Member National Authorities have the power to overturn the regulations approved by the Council.
After ratifying numerous regulation amendments over the last 12-months, a debate on reinstating the Mixed One-Person Dinghy event in place of the Mixed Two Person Keelboat Offshore event was held.
Members at the AGM voted with 43 voting in favor of retaining the Mixed Two Person Keelboat Offshore event, 17 were against and four abstained. This confirmed the slate of Events for Paris 2024 as:
Men’s Windsurfer (RS:X), Women’s Windsurfer (RS:X), Men’s One Person Dinghy (Laser), Women’s One Person Dinghy (Laser Radial), Mixed Kite (to be confirmed), Mixed Two Person Dinghy, Women’s Skiff (49erFX), Men’s Skiff (49er), Mixed Two Person Multihull (Nacra 17), Mixed Two Person Keelboat Offshore (to be confirmed). Most classes are subject to further evaluation. The Mixed Kiteboarding event will be on a foiling board with a RAM-Air (foil-kite) and the Mixed Two Person Dinghy event will be a non-foiling displacement boat with a headsail, mainsail and spinnaker. A displacement monohull (non-foiling) with a shorthanded deck layout will be used for the Mixed Two Person Keelboat Offshore boat. The boat will be between 6-10 meters in hull length, able to perform in 4 to 40 knots with a proper sail inventory for all conditions and be a sloop rig with a spinnaker.
Equipment trials for the Mixed Kiteboarding and Mixed Two Person Keelboat Offshore Events will follow with the decision on the Equipment to be made at the 2019 Annual Conference.
With regards to the Mixed Two Person Dinghy event, selection of the equipment should be based on evaluation against the specified criteria without equipment trials being required. If the evaluation is concluded by the Equipment Committee well ahead of the 2019 Mid-Year Meeting, then Council will be asked to decide by electronic vote.
