Decision to Drop Paralympic Sailing from 2016 Tokyo Olympics

Paralympic Sailing

Regardless of how you feel about the Olympics role in the bigger picture of "sailing" it is simply wrong to arbitrarily deprive the Paralympic segment of our sport of their opportunity to excel in disciplines that some have trained for for years.

 

Doug,

My apologies for any lack of clarity. I certainly could not support the sudden, dropping of the para-olympic sailing competition while the able bodied events continued. The infrastructure would be built anyway, thus it should be used.

My concern is with the extreme focus on these elite events. The classes which get selected become the focus of huge capital investment which drives up the price as rights owners seek to squeeze a return on their investment. That means one-designs; pressure on clubs to focus on the selected designs, and a drift of the aspirant elite in those directions.

Progress in sailing has historically come from development classes, often low cost ones, and many of the best designers started their too. I submit that the decline in participation in sailing stems from the Olympic focus, in part.

Doug, this discourse is distracting from the thread's focus on the para-olympics. Again, I apologize. I will now drop out. If a new thread specifically focused on sailing's decline emerges, I would expand further.

 

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Why is it OK to deny other sports their time in the Paralympics, in order to keep the spot for a smaller sport like Paralympic sailing?*

In a finite world, not every sport or every discipline can complete in the Paralympics. If sailing is kept in then it is at the expense of some other sport or discipline, or some other aspect of the event. I'd like to see Paralympic sailing survive, but effectively just saying "exclude some other sport" is not a fair or just way of dealing with limited resources.

The fact that the most popular form of sailing (keelboat yacht sailing for able-bodied people) isn't in the 'lympics is a demonstration that most sailors are arbitrarily deprived of their chance to excel in disciplines that some have trained in for years. And ironically, people who campaigned for new classes like the Moth to be allowed into the Games were arguing FOR people from other disciplines to be deprived of their chance to excel in disciplines that some have trained in for years.

WD

EDIT - WD, great posts, but;

1 - the infrastructure for the Olympics (ie ramps for dinghies, boards and cats and a dock for powerboats) is probably fairly different from the infrastructure for the Paralympics (keelboat cranes, hardstands, docks) isn't it? Only a few people warned that dumping yachts from the Olympics could kill Paralympic sailing because the infrastructure would be different, but maybe it has turned out that way.

2 - without wanting to hijack the thread it can also be said that one designs were largely responsible for such major developments as junior sailing, womens sailing, sailing as a widely popular sport, windsurfing, popular sailing, and even many forms of construction.


* Smaller according to published reports, anyway.

 

Paralympic Sailing

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WD, no apology necessary-I appreciate your comments and the whole Olymipc thing and the decline of sailing(?) is a good topic for another thread.

 

No Paralympic Sailing Decision Stands

From Scuttlebutt Europe:
No Hope For Paralympic Sailing In 2020

Following the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) decision on 3 February 2015 that sailing will not be included in the Tokyo 2020 Games, the ISAF Executive conducted a review of the announcement.

On 2 April, ISAF President Carlo Croce and ISAF Vice-President Scott Perry met with the Chief Executive of the IPC, Xavier Gonzalez, and the Paralympic Games Sport & NPC Services Senior Manager, Juergen Padberg in Bonn, Germany.

It was confirmed by the IPC to ISAF that the process to select sports for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games has officially ended meaning the IPC's decision on 3 February 2015 stands.

 

Looks like it's over for 2020, although there is a very very slim chance. Here's a link to a little more from Y&Y. Thanks for the thread Doug, sad to see it going in a less than positive direction.

http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/182197/No-chance-of-return-for-sailing

 

I'd disagree with you partly here yes unless you know the rules it's not very good for spectators.
But these days I wouldn't call it a blue blood sport. Membership of my club is about 100 pounds per year for a family. The training school section of the club has in excess of 80 children (and increasing) for which boats are supplied. They also train adults.
I sailed for many years at club level in a laser (Torch?) and other dinghies. I Then have for the last ten years sailed in a Yeoman 20ft keelboat winning many trophies (including being in the top 3 at the nationals), the Yeoman can be bought for less than 2000 pounds and I've never owned one. By joining a club and spending time crewing (people are always short of crews), occasionally being given the helm until I was good enough to take over much of the time. I get much of my sailing for a very low price.

In Norfolk UK, we have many Broads(broad expanses of water) with sailing clubs on them as well as river clubs. Most are doing very well and membership varies from shop assistants to those who don't have to work, my club even as a rule that if you are made redundant and have been a member for over a year then membership is free until you get another job.

We do have a member who only just missed the last Para-Olympic team in her 2.4M yes her family (parents and brother) are all enthusiastic sailors and they have spent a large amount of money to compete at a high level but much of this has been raised from sponsorship and of course Olympics is the top level. Comparing their expenses is like the difference between driving your car and formula 1 (or Nascar).

We have a tradition here of sailing / racing going back to the days when the waterboat (Wherrymen) men on their wherries competed every year and definitely not a blue blood among them!

 

From Scuttlebutt tonight:

State of the Union: Disabled Sailing

by Bernard Destrubé, Member, ISAF Disabled Sailing Committee
The middle of a storm is certainly not the appropriate moment to publicize the state of a ship. Each gust of wind, each breaking wave can transform the situation in an unexpected manner. Losing the captain does not make things easy for those left on board.

The storm has subsided, and this bulletin, amongst other things, should help clarify the situation as it is at present, and hopefully put an end to the rumours and misinformation that have been circulating recently. The perceived silence of both ISAF and IFDS (ISAF Disabled Sailing Committee) can only witness the amount of work that has been carried out over the last weeks behind the scenes, in an effort to present International Paralympic Committee (IPC) with compelling information aimed at highlighting the value of our sport.

John Twomey, in his short term as President, has carried IFDS through three major challenges.

Firstly, following the 2012 Games, IFDS stood behind the ISAF Race Officials that had been named to the event, and defended them before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Secondly, convinced that the future of Paralympic sailing would be better secured through a merger between IFDS and ISAF, and despite some initial opposition, he forwarded this project with the success that led to the unanimous approval of the merger by both ISAF and IFDS General Assembly. And more recently, he guided extensive research, documentation, requested assistance from ISAF and all IFDS MNAs and RNAs in order to present a coherent and substantial submission to IPC to secure Paralympic Sailing in the future. You can be assured that the exclusion of sailing as announced by IPC in January came as the worst and greatest surprise that anyone could imagine.

As probably the longest standing Paralympic athlete, John Twomey has participated in every Paralympic Games since 1976, earning medals in athletics, before turning to sailing and participating in all the Paralympic sailing events since the beginning. As an athlete, he feels as devastated as each and every other disabled sailor. As President of IFDS, the news was unexpected and shattering. John Twomey chose to resign, and I would like to publicly thank him here for all his time and efforts devoted to promote Paralympic sailing over the many years he has served.

I have accepted to temporarily take the helm of the Disabled Sailing Committee (IFDS), fully conscious of the monumental challenges lying ahead. The merger with ISAF will create new dynamics, transfers of responsibilities, modified communication, and hopefully a number of changes that will promote what is certainly one of the greatest sports for persons with a disability!

- See more at: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2...e Union Disabled Sailing#sthash.EKUNyPj2.dpuf

 

Paralympic Sailing

From Scuttlebutt this morning:

Clagett response to the IPC sailing decision at 2020 Paralympic Games http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2...IPC sailing decision at 2020 Paralympic Games
Published on April 22, 2015 |
by Assoc Editor

Newport, RI (April 22, 2015) – The C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta shares in US Sailing’s disappointment that “the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has confirmed their decision not to include sailing at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo” as spoken by Tom Hubbell, President of US Sailing in a Press release on April 21, 2015.

“The Clagett will continue to support the athletes who strive to be amongst the world’s elite adaptive sailors by fulfilling our mission to enable sailors with disabilities to reach their personal levels of achievement”, said Judy McLennan, President of The C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta.

Along with US Sailing and other national bodies, as well as organizations with similar missions, The Clagett will continue to work collaboratively to try and find ways to help the IPC reverse their decision to exclude Paralympic sailing from the 2020 Paralympics.

The Clagett continues to grow and develop with the best interests of disabled sailors in mind. The Clagett’s aim is to,”assist sailors in realizing their potential on the water by providing them the knowledge and tools to improve their skills as well as the opportunity to utilize these talents in competition. Tom Clagett’s motto was “Reach for Success.”

The Clagett clinic and regatta appeals to sailors at all levels and continues to build on the reputation of the event, which enables disabled sailors to train toward individual goals. Whether their goal is to return to sailing or represent their country on an international level at a world championship, sailors who take part in The Clagett have a vast amount of life skills they can take away from being involved.

The Clagett would like to thank and recognize the efforts of John Twomey, former President of IFDS to expand Paralympic sailing and thank Dr. Bernard Destrube who has agreed to take over the Disabled Sailing Committee at ISAF. We also look forward to working with ISAF President Carlo Croce in expanding the role of Paralympic sailing.