The Nacra 17 fleet has endorsed a two year trial period to test new formats for racing.
The class decision comes ahead of the release of the World Sailing Olympic Vision report, which is expected to call for a period of bold moves by sailing to ensure they maintain or grow their role within the Olympic movement.
The sailing programme for Paris 2024 dramatically reviewed the classes used, and the IOC is expected to continue to pressurise World Sailing to widen the range of classes, with particular emphasis on popular sailing trends that present a more media friendly sport.
A particular target is the method of achieving the medal winners, with the result often being decided before the ‘medal races’ resulting in poor audience interest, and anti-climatic media time.
The recently adopted foiling-board classes have introduced different formats for their final stages, which attempt to keep the final podium places open as long as possible.
The Nacra 17 fleet has endorsed two new options to conclude regattas, with a period of testing from September 2024 to September 2026, and also opened the possibility for other format options to emerge.
The first trial format attempts to return sailing to its roots.
Instead of a medal race, the fleet will continue full fleet racing but all races on the final day would be umpired and non-discardable.
Races may be reduced to 20 minutes from 30 minutes to minimize the additional broadcasting burden. Such a format would ensure the winner be revealed in the final broadcast.
This is intended to maintain classic Olympic sailing while presenting the foiling multihulls in high-intensity fleet racing, and maintaining the critical medal action in the final stages.
Modern tracking and electronic systems allow for the umpiring of larger fleets than when the medal race was introduced, paving the way for a return to classic Olympic sailing.
The second trial option, moves closer the ‘foiling-board’ solution.
It combines all of the complexity of fleet racing with the high stakes of a knock-out tournament format.
The fleet of boats will be divided into flights of 8 boats, where each flight will race three normal races in low point scoring and the top half will move on to the next round.
Those eliminated will move to a repechage where just a single boat will return to the final making the final a total of nine boats. In the final, there will be three fleet races and low point scoring will determine the final standings.
Both these formats aim to present a final day medal event with the podium places still open, providing a better audience experience . . . And that vast world-wide media audience that is what the IOC wants.
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