Between 5 and 6 days of racing on one-design units
The Olympic regattas are sailed on one-design boats, regardless of the class. Thus, each country sails on an equal footing, and the success of each team depends mainly on the technique and know-how of the sailors. But the morphology of each sailor can also weigh in the balance. For example, a sailor who is too light may be less effective in classes that require a lot of strength, such as the Finn, which is otherwise reserved for men.
The competitions take place over 5 or 6 days depending on the series. The first 4 or 5 days of racing are run as a fleet, between 20 and 46 boats depending on the series. The last day of the race - the final, called Medal Race - brings together only the top 10 boats in the ranking.
Each day, athletes compete in one, two or three races, on courses built around buoys.
The race in practice
Participants start a race from the starting line before completing two laps of the course and crossing the finish line. The winner is the first person to complete the race after rounding all the buoys set up by the Race Committee.
At the end of the day, an intermediate ranking is established by calculating the total points acquired on each event. Knowing that the first one scores 1 point, the second one 2 points, etc. The leader is therefore the one who accumulates the least points.
The day before the final event, the ranking determines the 10 best sailors, who will participate in the Medal Race. There are only 10 boats in the final event, the previous ranking being kept for the other participants. The difference between this event and the previous ones is that the points count double.
Thus, the first one scores 2 points, the second one 4 points and the tenth one 20 points. The sailor with the fewest points will win the event.
Which media?
These are 10 sailing series which are organized at the Olympic Games, divided into different categories: male, female and mixed.
5 men's events
- RS:X (windsurfing)
- Laser (single-handed light dinghy)
- Finn (single-handed heavy dinghy)
- 470 (double dinghy)
- 49 er (skiff double)
4 women's events
- RS:X (windsurfing)
- Laser radial (single-handed light dinghy)
- 470 (double dinghy)
- 49er FX (double sculls)
1 mixed race
