Kiel Week – Compensation for sports' organization's 'accident' in 2018

by SVG Verlag on 20 Jun 2017 After the Paralympic-off for the sailing sport, the way for the reinstatement of sailing in the Paralympic program is leading via Kiel. Because the 'Para World Sailing Championships' will be sailed during the Kiel Week. The large registration numbers are the best publicity for the Paralympic status.

Sailing has been a Paralympic sport for the period of five Olympics, from Sydney in 2000 until Rio de Janeiro in the previous year. But sailing will not be a part of the Paralympics in Tokyo anymore. World Sailing replied with a 'Paralympic' strategy plan for the years 2017 until 2020. The objective is to reinstate sailing as a Paralympic sport. An important step on this way are the 'Para World Sailing Championships'.

Friedhelm Julius Beucher, President of the German Association for Disabled Sports (DBS), did call it an 'accident of the sports policy' to remove sailing from the program of the Paralympics. The association claims not having heard from the decision before it had already been fixed and no-one could be made accountable for that, said Beucher. For this reason, the DBS President is even more pleased about the big number of participants at the 'Para World Championships'. 'There are about 100 athletes from more than 40 nations from all around the world participating. That is the right answer to the off and the best publicity for the sport', said Beucher.

Also the acting President of the German Sailors' Association DSV, Mona Kueppers, is regretting the Paralympic-off for the sailing sport: 'It is a shame, that the sport, where disabled and non-disabled sportsmen and -women can compete against each other in one boat class, is discarded.' A cooperation agreement between the DSV (Deutscher Seglerverband) and the DBS (Deutscher Behindertensportverband) shall solve the problem. The associations are planning to set up a joint coordination centre until the midth of next year and work together for the reinstatement of sailing into the Paralympic program.

At the end of this year or beginning of 2018, the decision shall be made, if sailing shall again be part of the Olympic Games. DBS President Friedhelm Julius Beucher is optimistic after the record registration numbers for the championships in Kiel: 'I am not worried about the future of the Paralympic sailing sport.“

The Kiel Week is setting a sign for this. Since 2000 the 2.4mR have been integrated into the Kiel Week, since 2008 disabled and non-disabled sailors are sailing the 2.4mR open in Kiel. More inclusion is not possible.

In the first part of this year's Kiel Week, the 2.4mR open (Pre-Worlds) are sailing, from Wednesday on, there will be the Para World Sailing Championships in the 2.4mR and Hansa 303 after the opening ceremony on Tuesday.