Gladwell's Line - Tough questions ahead for World Sailing

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com on 24 Sep 2016 The 2016 Paralympics have concluded - as indeed has that great Olympic Regatta that was Rio 2016

Are the images you see on this page the last we will ever see of Sailing in the Paralympics?

More on that later.

While several of the so-called 'developed' sailing nations bathe in their Olympic and Paralympic success, the hard questions relating to the future shape of the sport have to be answered over the four months or less.

First of these relate to the Class mix for the 2020 Olympics.

Normally this decision would be made by late November - just two months away, but it seems that will now be a preliminary round with the final decision being made in February 2017.

World Sailing, or rather the sailing world, has a problem in sailing algebra to work out for Tokyo 2020.

The variables being:

- How to fit Kitesurfing into the 10 Olympic events
- How to include a foiling class
- Accommodating gender equality, and defining that that actually means
- Retaining a heavyweight mens class (really a slightly above normal weight class for men)
- Maybe bringing back a keelboat

And first, if it has not already done so, World Sailing has to undo the handcuffs not changing a group of 'Core Classes' that it selected in November 2012, in order to promote the concept of continuity within the Olympic Sailing regatta, and to avoid the turmoil of change and lobbying which occurred every 4th November, as classes tried to retain their seat in the Five Ring Circus.

Sitting alongside the Olympic classes issue is the vexed Sailing World Cup format. Since its inception, we have lost count of the changes that have been made. Is this the fourth rendition? Now, no events are being held in the Southern Hemisphere for the next four years.

Australian Sailing have come out and spoken against the proposals by World Sailing. That in itself is a very unusual move with all such issues and responses mostly decided in secret.

To some extent the Australians are authors of their own demise.

Their own Australian Sailing Team didn't participate in the last Sailing World Cup round hosted in Melbourne - opting instead for yet another training regatta in Brazil. New Zealand is not much better having used the December period for a break from sailing and sent instead second tier sailors across the Ditch - not necessarily a bad thing as the SWC Melbourne offers good international competition close to home.

Of course, Australian support for Sail Auckland has always been very poor, and it is unreasonable to expect New Zealanders to travel to Australia without the visit being reciprocated.

The Antipodeans can't have it both ways. If there is to be a Sailing World Cup event in the SW Pacific it has to have strong local support for what should be a home game.

The real losers are the Pacific Island nations and indeed all of the so-called 'developing' countries who need strong regional competition to develop their skills and lift up beyond the level of just participating. They don't have the financial resources to jet to Europe at the drop of a hat, run multiple boat campaigns, with top coaches and all the paraphernalia that goes with that territory.

It was only a few years ago that the developed sailing nations got a jolt from then ISAF's Olympic Commission with the truth about Sailing's sad geographic spread compared to other Olympic sports - raising doubts about whether Sailing would continue in the Olympics. Keeping and improving the Developing Nations in the Olympic Sailing circuits is essential for Sailing to remain an Olympic sport.

World Sailing appear not to have heeded the inconvenient truth that was revealed just six years ago.

Another burning issue is that of the future of Paralympic Sailing. World Sailing dropped the ball badly on this one - when Sailing was not included in the Tokyo 2020 schedule of Sports.

Earlier this week we featured an extended interview with double America's Cup champion, Rick Dodson who skippered the New Zealand Sonar to a tie for the Bronze medal in the recent Paralympics.

It is now clear that with the entry of top sailors of the likes of Rick Dodson and Dee Smith (USA) who are multiple World Champions in able bodied classes, who both finished fourth in the recent Paralympics - and it should be clear that the standard of Paralympic sailing is very high indeed. Many said before the series that it was unfair that sailors of their ability should be racing in the Paralympics, and they would wipe the floor in their two events.

That didn't happen and the point that Paralympic medalists should be considered in the same peer group, on their merits as able-bodied Olympic medalists, has now been well made.

Rick Dodson makes the excellent point that Paralympic Sailing must lift itself above the level of Sailing for the Disabled and for Paralympians to be considered in the same peer group as able-bodied sailors who win at Olympic and World Championship level.

We all know that the Baby Boomers are getting older, and more prone to stokes and the like, some of which leave a level of disability. There needs to be a well-developed sport so that the top sailors amongst this group can change direction, get certified, and continue in sailing at an international level if they want to do so. For sure it will help their rehab no end.

Even if one's body is just worn out to the point where something less athletic is required, a one man boat like the Norlin OD2.4 is a good option - and increases the fleets and competition for the genuine Paralympians.

Whichever way you look at the international sailing scene - there are some massive issues to be resolved over the next few months by World Sailing. Now is the time for some real leadership and the issues will not be resolved by sailing politicians just keeping a seat warm. They have sat around and waited for the obvious solution to make an appearance. That's not going to happen.

It is not fair to those who are looking to get on the escalator for the next Olympic cycle to be out buying boats and working in a particular direction only to find that some sailing bureaucrat has influenced others to go in a different direction, and for all this to be done under the smokescreen of confidentiality.