U.S. Olympic trials conclude for Finns and continue with 2021 Worlds for women's 470
by US Sailing Team 11 Jul 2020 08:38 NZST
470 Women attracted a 47 boat fleet at the Hempel Sailing World Championships 2018 at aarhus, Denmark. August 2018 © Sailing Energy / World Sailing
On Thursday, July 9, US Sailing's Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) voted that participation at the 2020 Finn and 470 World Championships is not in the best interest of U.S. athletes.
Upon review of current State Department and Travel Advisories and at the recommendation of US Sailing's Selection Committee, the OSC determined that these regattas will not be used as the third 2020 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team selection event for the Women's 470 or Finn classes.
The next qualification opportunity for the Women's 470 class is the 2021 World Championship, scheduled for March 5-13, 2021 in Vilamoura, Portugal. Finn selection has concluded based on the results of the first two selection events: the 2019 World Championship and 2020 Hempel World Cup Series Miami.
US Sailing's Selection Procedures outline multiple reasons why travel to an event's host country may not be in the athletes' best interest. Among those are the ongoing COVID-19 travel restrictions and advisories.
According to Joe Morris (Annapolis, Md.), Selection Committee member and Athlete Advisory Council Representative, "The COVID-19 pandemic has created a great deal of uncertainty and risk associated with international travel. Beyond the obvious health and safety hazards, this lack of certainty also inhibits the sailors' preparations for the Championships. Therefore, we feel it is not in their best interest to compete at these events."
"As a team, we are confident with our process in place to continue training and preparations, while looking ahead to important events in 2021 with Olympic Qualification implications for the Women's 470," said Luther Carpenter, US Sailing Team Head Coach. "Our athletes are focused on their specific goals and are making progress towards those on a daily basis. We are optimistic about our opportunities to train and compete with the best sailors in the world and we will be prepared to adapt to the changes in the 2020-2021 schedule and in our sailing environment."
Learn more about the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials and US Sailing's Selection Procedures.