World Sailing is inviting Member National Authorities to bid to host the Sea-trials for the selection of Equipment for the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy Events.
Sea-trials will now take place as part of the Selection of Equipment process among the four boats shortlisted during the Re-evaluation procedure. These include:
- D-Zero, presented by Devotti Sailing s.r.o.
- Laser Standard and Laser Radial sailboat, presented by ILCA
- Melges 14, presented by Melges Boat Works Inc., NELO and Mackay Boats Ltd.
- RS Aero, presented by RS Sailing.
MNAs are invited to submit proposals with proven experience and recognised sailing venues to serve as host and assisting World Sailing with administration and logistic organisation of the trials.
Due to the challenges of equipment transport, logistics and climate considerations, Southern European venues are preferred to host the Sea-trials in February, March or April 2019. The Sea-trials is expected to comprise of two days ashore and up to three days of sailing.
Interested MNAs are requested to show an expression of interest by email to technical@sailing.org by 17:00 UTC on Friday 30 November. Bids that include proposed dates, sailing condition description and description and imagery of installations are requested by 17:00 UTC on Friday 14 December 2018. World Sailing’s Board of Directors will then decide on the venue.
View invitation to tender for Sea-trial venue selection document [PDF].
Following the selection of a venue and dates, MNAs will be invited to nominate one male sailor, within the 75kg to 90kg weight range and one female sailor, within the 55kg to 70kg weight range.
About the equipment selection process
World Sailing launched the tender process in May 2018 which invited Class Associations and Manufacturers to tender for the Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy following World Sailing’s Olympic Re-evaluation Policy, detailed in Regulation 23.6 and approved by World Sailing’s Council at the 2017 Annual Conference in Mexico.
View the tender document [PDF].
World Sailing received eight compliant bids and the D-Zero, Laser Standard and Laser Radial, Melges 14 and RS Aero were shortlisted as being those who closely mirror the technical criteria for the event – easy to sail, shared hull dinghy monohull with different rig sizes for male, female and youth sailors.
Following shortlisting, in Phase 2, World Sailing undertook site visits to the manufacturers to confirm the submitted information, after which an improved bid was requested from each of them to address the supply of equipment to major events, the accessibility to the market by new builders and the standardization of equipment amongst different builders.
The Board’s Re-evaluation Working Party reviewed the bids and recommended to World Sailing’s Board of Directors that World Sailing should proceed to select new equipment with the additional recommendation that the existing equipment (Laser/ILCA) is included as a full option in the process. The recommendation was approved at World Sailing’s 2018 Annual Conference.
View the Re-Evaluation Board recommendation to Council [PDF].
Following the Sea-trial phase, World Sailing’s Council will select the Equipment in 2019.