Irish commentary confuses international media with mock Olympic race
Long before the o'donovan brothers arrived on the scene, one irish "commentator" was confusing international media..
That time when Irish comedian Chris Tordoff's confused the media with his mock Olympic commentary.
Long before the O'Donovan brothers arrived on the scene, one Irish "commentator" was sending international media and Olympic fans into convulsions of laughter at London 2012, with his very strange take on the Woman's Laser Radial. The very same sport in which our fantastic Annalise Murphy was to take silver in Rio in 2016.
Over in Ireland, mention Chris ‘The Viper’ Tordoff of the Hardy Bucks, and everyone immediately thinks comedy.
But when Tordoff’s mock-commentary of Olympic sailing went viral six years ago, most international media failed to get the joke.
With the hype and fame surrounding the Cork, silver medal-winning rowers Gary and Paul O'Donovan after the Summer Olympics in 2016, the video has once again resurfaced to the bemusement of many sports fans and brought another wave of confusion to those who can't quite believe we have commentary like this in Ireland—maybe because we don't.
Tordoff was widely referenced as simply an “Irish Commentator” at the time, or credited under his character name of Francis Higgins from the Hardy Bucks. Many sources didn’t realize Tordoff wasn’t serious, while Buzzfeed wrote, “I’m about 90 percent sure this is fake, but it’s just too funny to think it might not be.”
Read more: Annalise Murphy sails to Ireland’s second silver medal of Olympic Games
With its resurgence, some YouTube commenters were horrified at what they heard.
"They let idiot like that to to travel to Rio?" asked one, while another stated "and the commentator knew less than my friend who had never seen a sailing boat before."
Tordoff already knows that the line between reality and fiction can be a humorous place; ‘The Hardy Bucks’ is a mockumentary show which began as the mostly-improvised tale of five men from the west of Ireland attempting to reach the great metropolis of Galway.
It appears the Olympic Council didn't see the funny side, however, and The Viper's original video was removed, resulting in a foul-mouthed rant from Tordoff that would stir pride in Irish boxer Michael Conlan , who himself had strong words for Olympic judges with his shock, controversial defeat in the quarterfinals of his weight division in the 2016 Summer Olympics, even sending a tweet to Putin to ask how much the Russians had paid for their win.
Read more: Irish boxer attacks Vladimir Putin who he says bribed Olympic judges
Thankfully someone succeeded in reposting and regardless of the media confusion, everyone’s in agreement about one thing: this clip is hilarious in ways you never thought sailing could be.
Read more: GQ magazine says Irish silver-winning rowers are stars of the Olympics
*Originally published in 2012.
Related: Sports
GOAL USA is inviting you to join the challenge of a lifetime - the Great Ethiopian Run!
Clodagh McKenna’s Irish lamb stew with pearl barley recipe
Sláinte! The best Irish toasts to raise a Guinness to
How kind people like you have cared for Irish hearts for 163 years...
These are the most photogenic towns in Ireland
WATCH: Shane MacGowan and Christy Moore sing "Spancil Hill" on the "Late Late" in 1994
The Irish roots of Kimberly Guilfoyle, prominent figure in Trump's campaigns
Make your Irish dreams come true: WIN a home in Donegal and a patch of land in Ireland
The Irish who lived and died on the Titanic
Shane MacGowan’s will reveals just how much he left beloved wife Victoria Mary Clarke
More Irish cultural practices formally recognized as part of Ireland’s Intangible Heritage
Irish charity expresses "delight" after donation from Taylor Swift
Olympic Sailing Results by Year
Tokyo 2020 The Tokyo Games were historic in many ways. Norway's Anne-Marie Rindom won gold in the women's Laser Radial, marking Norway's first-ever Olympic gold in sailing. The Netherlands' Marit Bouwmeester , who won silver in London and gold in Rio, rounded out her Olympic medal set with the bronze. Great Britain's Giles Scott defended his gold medal in the men's Finn class. Great Britain's Hannah Mills also defended her gold medal in the women's 470, bringing her total Olympic medal tally to three (two gold and one silver). Italy's Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti grabbed the gold in the inaugural mixed Narca 17 event, which showcased the new gender-neutral event format. The Games didn't conclude without some success for the host nation. Japan's Kimura Amani won silver in the men's RS:X.
Rio 2016 In Rio, Great Britain emerged as the most successful nation in sailing, winning a total of five medals, including two golds. British sailor Giles Scott dominated the Finn class, winning gold with an unassailable lead before the medal race. Brazil celebrated its first-ever Olympic sailing gold when Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze triumphed in the women's 49erFX class in front of a home crowd.
London 2012 : There is no doubt that the Australian's were shouting "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, oi, oi!" in London. Australia's Tom Slingsby (Laser), Mathew Belcher , teammate Malcolm Page (470), Nathan Outteridge and teammate Iain Jensen (49er) all won gold in their respective events. Australia's Olivia Price , Nina Curtis , and Lucinda Whitty won silver in the women's Elliott 6m. Although, Australia took home four total medals (three gold and one silver), it was the rivaling British that outnumbered their medal count with five (four silver and one gold). Great Britain's Ben Ainslie became the most decorated Olympic sailor of all time, Pavlos Kontides won Cyprus' first-ever Olympic medal with silver in the Laser. China's Xu Lijia took home gold in the women's Laser Radial marking China's second medal in sailing. Spain's women had an impressive performance taking home two gold medals, one in the women's RS:X and the other in the inaugural women's Elliot 6m.
Beijing 2008 The ISAF has called the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games a landmark Olympics for the sport of sailing. It was the first time the medal race format was used at the Games. It was also the first time China won a sailing medal, when Jian Yin took women's RS:X gold. Italy's Alessandra Sensini became the first female sailor to earn four Olympic medals and Great Britain's Ben Ainslie won his impressive third consecutive gold medal. Lithuania took home its first-ever Olympic sailing medal when Gintare Volungeviciute Scheidt claimed silver in Laser Radial. While Great Britain led the medal tally with six, the U.S. took home two medals – Zach Railey 's silver in the Finn and Anna Tunnicliffe 's gold in Laser Radial's Olympic debut.
Athens 2004 In 12 previous Games dating to 1952, Israel had won only one silver and three bronze medals and its Olympic legacy was primarily somber – political complications, occasional snubs by athletes from Islamic countries, and, overshadowing all else, the killing of 11 athletes and coaches who were seized by a Palestinian terrorist group called Black September at the 1972 Games in Munich. But windsurfer Gal Fridman , whose first name means "wave" in Hebrew, gave Israel its first gold medal, winning men's Mistral. Fridman sailed a remarkably consistent regatta, never finishing worse than eighth in the 11-race series. After crossing the finish line, he took a victory plunge in the Saronic Gulf and then wrapped himself in the Israeli flag when he came out of the water.
Sydney 2000 After winning the men's Mistral event in Sydney, giving land-locked Austria its second sailing gold of the Games, Christoph Sieber reflected on his preparation, which included workouts with Olympic champion skier and countryman Hermann Maier . "I knew I had to work extensively in the physical area, so Hermann Maier and myself were pounding the weights. ... It's made me much stronger, and that's the secret for me."
Atlanta 1996 Boardsailer Lee Lai-Shan won Hong Kong's first-ever Olympic medal in the colony's 44-year history of competing at the Games. Many of Hong Kong's six million residents stayed up until 5 a.m. to watch Lee, nicknamed "San San," win the women's Mistral class over pre-race favorite and 1992 gold medalist Barbara Kendall of New Zealand. Winning had its rewards for Lee, who racked up more than $1 million in endorsements after her victory.
Barcelona 1992 At the Barcelona Games, Spain claimed four sailing gold medals and five overall, an output second only to the United States. Spanish sailors won the Flying Dutchman, the men's 470, men's Finn and the women's 470. Perhaps more interesting was the list of Spanish yachtsman who did not ascend to the podium. Skipper Fernando Leon finished sixth in Soling with Spain's future king, Crown Prince Felipe , on his crew. Felipe at least found solace in that he outperformed his father, King Juan Carlos I , who competed in the Dragon class at the 1972 Olympics and finished 15th.
Seoul, 1988 During his fifth race in the Finn competition, which was held concurrently with the fifth race of the men's 470, Canada's Lawrence Lemieux noticed that Singapore's Joseph Chan , a 470 entrant, had been tossed from his boat. Lemieux, in second place in his race at the time, left the course to rescue Chan. According to Lemieux, Chan "was obviously desperate. ... It was just one of those decisions." Later, Lemieux was given a second-place finish in his race. He ultimately placed 10th overall in the Finn competition.
Los Angeles 1984 Paul Elvstrom , 36 years after winning the first of his four gold medals in the Finn class, returned for the 1984 Games at age 56 with his daughter, Tine. The duo finished fourth in the Tornado catamaran class in Long Beach. Elvstrom, who also had his daughter crew for him in Seoul, is one of four athletes to compete in eight or more Olympics.
Montreal, 1976 The 1976 Olympic sailing competition was held on Lake Ontario some 170 miles from Montreal. There, 33-year-old American Dennis Conner – who later gained fame as a skipper in the America's Cup – sailed to a bronze medal in the now-defunct, two-person Tempest class, which was only contested at the Munich and Montreal Games.
Munich, 1972 Returning to Kiel, 400 miles from Munich on the Baltic Sea and site of the 1936 Olympic regatta, the 1972 sailing competition had a royal flavor. Spain's Crown Prince Juan Carlos – who ascended to the throne in 1975 – finished 15th in the Dragon class. Norway's Crown Prince Harald placed 10th in Soling.
Tokyo 1964 Australia's Bill Northam won the 5.5-meter class on his yacht, the Barrenjoey. A grandfather of five, Northam was, at age 59, the oldest Australian Olympic gold medalist and his country's first in the sport. After running up a dominant point total, Northam disqualified himself from the meaningless final race and celebrated his victory by quaffing several glasses of vodka – an act, he later admitted, that left him a tad wobbly atop the medal stand.
Rome 1960 With the 1960 Olympic competition taking place in Naples, the Soviet Union won its first gold medal in sailing, a sport considered the domain of the capitalist elite. The team of Timir Pinegin and Fyodor Shutkov easily outscored their Portuguese and American competition in the Star class on their craft, the Tornado, which was built in Old Greenwich, Conn.
London 1948 Paul Elvstrom of Denmark made his Olympic debut, winning the first of four consecutive gold medals in the Finn class. Elvstrom, who was a reserve in 1964 and also competed in 1968 and 1972, returned to the Games in Los Angeles in 1984 to crew for his daughter in the Tornado class. He also participated in the Seoul Games, 40 years after his London debut.
Los Angeles 1932 At the helm of his aptly-christened boat "Angelita," Owen Churchill led his crew to victory in the 8-meter competition for America's first-ever Olympic sailing medal. Churchill later went on to win several non-Olympic championships in the Star class, but he made a bigger impact in the water than atop it. The Los Angeles native patented the first rubber swim fin in 1940. These fins were later used in World War II by British and U.S. frogmen, and by recreational swimmers for decades to come. His boat was restored for the 1984 Los Angeles Games, with Churchill back at the flagship for the sailing events in Long Beach.
Antwerp 1920 The first two races in the 12-foot dinghy class, the predecessor to the present-day Finn, were staged in Oostende on the North Sea, just 60 miles west of Antwerp. But after a dispute over the course, the final two races were rescheduled for two months later and more than 150 miles away – in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It marked the first time an official Olympic event was contested outside the host country. The only other time came in 1956, when the equestrian events took place in Stockholm, Sweden, rather than in Melbourne, as the result of strict Australian quarantine laws.
Stockholm 1912 The Sailing program of 1912 consisted of a total of four sailing classes (6 Metre, 8 Metre, 10 Metre, and 12 Metre.) For each class, two races were scheduled off the coast of Nynashamn in the Baltic Sea. The Royal Swedish Yacht Club was requested to organize the sailing event. Discussions took place whether the races would take place at the same time period of the other Olympic events. Finally the decision was taken to hold them just after the other Olympic events. France won the 6 Metre gold, Norway won gold in both the 8 and 12 Metre, and Denmark won the 10 Metre.
London 1908 Most sailing events at the London Games were held off the Isle of Wight's seaside resort of Ride, approximately 72 miles south of London in the English Channel. Great Britain won every race in the regatta. The one event not held in England was the 12-meter, which was staged in Scotland at the Firth of Clyde and was won by a crew of Scotsmen, who at the time represented Great Britain.
Paris 1900 The first regatta of the modern Games didn't exactly live up to the ideals of amateurism in sport set forth by Baron de Coubertin . The competition included cash prizes for the winners in an era in which athletes were supposed to be competing for the love of sport, not money. The yachting competition also featured more than one final for each class and an adjustment of the times for each vessel based on the weight of its crew.
Athens 1896 Sailing was on the program for the Games. But rain, heavy winds and powerful waves that knocked lighter vessels on shore created conditions unsafe for competition in Phaleron Bay. As explained in the official program, "the elements continued with such fury that every idea of a boat race had to be given up." Thus, the first Olympic regatta was cancelled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the most successful olympic sailing team.
With 63 Olympic medals — 31 of which are gold — no nation has won more Olympic medals than Great Britain. The United States is a close second with 61 Olympic medals, 19 of which are gold.
Who is the best Olympic sailor ever?
Great Britain's Ben Ainslie is the most decorated Olympic sailor with five medals: 4 gold and 1 silver.
Who is the most successful female Olympic sailor?
Great Britain's Hannah Mills has had great success at the Olympic Games. Mills won a silver in the women's 470 in London 2012 and upgraded to gold in both 2016 and 2020. Mills is also a eight-time world medalist and three-time world champion in the women's 470.
Note: Some components of NBCOlympics.com may not be optimized for users browsing with Internet Explorer 11, 10 or older browsers or systems.
Irish Olympic Sailing Commentary Makes Everything Better (VIDEO)
Boats from Francis Higgins on Vimeo .
Women's sailing isn't exactly the event everyone's excited about come Olympic season, but thanks to this Irish commentator all that's about to change.
He's somehow able to take a horribly disorganized mess of boats on the verge of crashing and turn it into something you don't hate watching. It's like the Honey Badger of sports.
Don't take our word for it, though. Check out the full clip above.
You'll be like, "Who Phelps? Gabby Huh?"
From Our Partner
More in comedy.
Home News U.S. Olympic Sailing Breakdown
U.S. Olympic Sailing Breakdown
There are 10 classes (class = type of boat / board): Women’s & Men’s Kiteboarding, 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17, Mixed 470, Men’s & Women’s iQFOiL, ILCA 6, ILCA 7
Sailing at the Paris 2024 Olympics will take place from July 28 through August 8 (with August 9 as a backup day in case of bad weather).
We sail on the Bay of Marseille in the Mediterranean Sea, a “satellite venue” located about 500 miles south of Paris. Each class completes their regatta on a “course” outlined using buoys.
Racing occurs in one of four “areas” on the water. Within each area, a “course” is outlined using buoys that all competitors must sail around to complete each race. First around the course wins the race!
Sailing operates on a low-points system, like golf. The first boat to cross the finish line gets one point on their results sheet, second boat to cross gets two points, etc. Lowest score at the end of the regatta wins.
Live Broadcast is available every day on . for “The Medalist” newsletter (if you’re receiving this, you’re on the media mailing list and will receive them each day- just including this info to share with your audiences), follow along on and , head to for live tracking, and join our on your mobile phone for text updates.
We sail on the Bay of Marseille in the Mediterranean Sea, a “satellite venue,” about 500 miles south of Paris. Each class completes their regatta on a “course” outlined using buoys.
This is the third time the Olympics will be held in Paris: first in 1900, then in 1924, and now 2024. In 1900 and 1924, sailing events were held in both the Seine and the English Channel / Atlantic. Marseille was selected for 2024 due to its exceptional sailing conditions, featuring a strong characteristic seasonal breeze, the “Mistral.”
There are four race areas on the Bay of Marseille, all named after cities or geographical features around the area: “Corniche,” “Marseille,” “Frioul,” and “Calanques.” Separate race areas allow multiple fleets to compete on the water at the same time. Within each area, the competitors will all race on the same “course” outlined by buoys. Each type of course has a name; the one below and to the right is called an “Inner Trapezoid.”
The first boat/board around the buoys and through the finish line is the winner of that race, with multiple races constituting a regatta. The race winner receives one point for that race, second place receives two points, and so on. The boat/board with the fewest overall points at the end of the regatta wins the event.
Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!
Olympic Sailing 2024: Where to Watch, Full Schedule
The Americans are battening down the hatches as they try to reclaim Olympic gold for the first time since 2008 in Beijing.
It’s all hands on deck as the U.S. Olympic sailing team heads to Paris for the 2024 Olympics. The Americans qualified a boat for nine of the 10 sailing events, and 13 sailors will be participating. The sailors will be hungry for medals after coming home without the gold for 16 years now. The U.S. also sailed home completely empty-handed at the London 2012 Olympics, as well as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. But, historically, the U.S. is one of the most-winning nations in sailing (trailing only behind Great Britain), with 61 medals (19 gold, 23 silver and 19 bronze), according to Sail World , and this 2024 U.S. Olympic Sailing team hopes the winds are right to bring the gold back to America.
Key sailing athletes to watch
Thirteen American sailors will be in the waters of the Mediterranean in Marseille, the oldest city in France, for this Olympic games.
The team includes five-time Olympian Stu McNay and two-time Olympian Lara Dallman-Weiss, who have the most Olympic experience for the Americans. All eyes will be on the pair as they compete in the new mixed-gender category at this Olympics, mixed 470 (mixed two-person dinghy). Both have been very successful individually, and have podium finishes at the national, World Cup and Continental levels, according to U.S. Sailing .
RELATED: Where To Watch 2024 Paris Olympics: Complete Schedule
McNay is taking his status as elder statesman to heart. He’s among only 0.42% of Olympians in modern history who have competed in five or more Games, according to the Associated Press . He’ll turn 43 during the Olympics.
“As an older person, you can bring grit and determination,” McNay told the AP after the team trials.
Another team will make their second consecutive Olympic games together: Stephanie Roble and Maggie Shea. They’ll sail in the 49erFX (women’s skiff), and have been competing in 49erFX together since the fall of 2016. They’ve medaled at the 2023 and 2019 Pan American Games, among others.
The pair are both from Chicago and are feeling the love from those in the Windy City.
“The Chicago community has rallied around us for years,” Shea said to Sail World . “Campaigning for the Olympics is extremely demanding, but having a group of wonderful people behind us helps us remember why we do it.”
How to watch U.S. sailing at the Paris Olympics
Every day during the Summer Olympics , NBC will offer fans at least nine hours of daytime coverage of the Games’ most exciting events, including live finals coverage of swimming, gymnastics, track and field, and more. Considering the time difference (Paris is six hours ahead of the U.S.’s eastern time zone), fans will be able to watch the day’s most popular events live on NBC in the morning and afternoon. NBC will also deliver an enhanced Olympics primetime show each night, providing three hours of must-see entertainment.
In addition, every event from the Summer Olympics will be broadcast live on Peacock , which will be home to an innovative Olympics hub that will include "curated rails of live and upcoming events, dedicated in-depth hubs for nearly 40 sports, medal standings and an interactive schedule."
Complete schedule for Olympic sailing events
Sunday, July 28 6:00 a.m. ET: Windsurfing, Skiff (Day 1)
Monday, July 29 6:00 a.m. ET: Windsurfing, Skiff (Day 2)
Tuesday, July 30 6:00 a.m. ET: Windsurfing Skiff (Day 3)
Wednesday, July 31 6:00 a.m. ET: Windsurfing, Skiff Day 4
Thursday, August 1 6:00 a.m. ET: Skiff Medal Races & more
Friday, August 2 6:00 a.m. ET: Windsurfing Medal Series & more
Saturday, August 3 6:00 a.m. ET: Dinghy, Mixed Multihull Opening Series
Sunday, August 4 6:00 a.m. ET: Dinghy, Mixed Multihull, Kite Opening Series
Monday, August 5 6:00 a.m. ET: Dinghy, Mixed Multihull, Kite Opening Series
Tuesday, August 6 6:00 a.m. ET: Men's & Women's Dinghy Medal Races, Kite & more
Wednesday, August 7 6:00 a.m. ET: Mixed Dinghy, Mixed Multihull Medal Races, & more
Thursday, August 8 6:00 a.m. ET: Men’s & Women’s Kite Medal Series
Watch live coverage of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 26, on NBC and Peacock beginning at 12 p.m. ET. Telemundo will provide Spanish-language coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Primetime coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and Peacock .
Recommended for You
2-Year-Old Mariska Hargitay Appears on the Merv Griffin Show
Ryan Gosling and Jimmy Fallon Deserve Oscars for Playing Identical-Looking Tough Cops
Scarlett Johansson Matches Katie Britt's SOTU Energy in SNL Parody: Watch
VIDEO: the funniest sailing commentary ever
This is possibly the best video we’ve seen this Olympics.
It’s commentary on “some boats in a race” from an Irish comedian named Francis “Fran” Higgins.
OK, so let’s be frank – sailing is not the most exciting sport to watch. But this may very well put it on the map.
Stick with it until the end. (And there’s a couple of swear words in there, so it might not be safe for work).
And then there’s this Olympic diving video which is also going viral today.
Not that we were laughing, but….
Still feel you haven’t had enough Olympic laughs for one day? Okay, ONE MORE. (Bossy…)
Here are some Olympians who were um, really, really happy, about their achievements. It doesn’t matter how good your poker face is – there is no covering up what the Lycra reveals.
current-affairs
Share via facebook
Share via twitter
Share via whatsapp
SMS Share via SMS
Share via e-mail
Top Comments
Sweet, the way commentary should be done! There's a dude in NZ who did alternative Games audio commentary for all kinds of events, I think he usually does rugby. Funny stuff, just toking up and smashing beer and calling sports. He's on www.youcommentate.com .. check it out. I think anyone can do it?
I love how the Olympics brings out the best skits! Very enjoyable
PM: Donald Trump’s Surprising Speech, Aussie Workers Prioritise Balance Over Pay
Injuries, Exploitation and Eating Disorders: The Real Story Behind The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders with Sarah Hepola
Olympics Sailing 'Commentator' Says What We're All Thinking (VIDEO)
It's confession time now. Although we love watching the Olympics on TV, we really don't have a clue about the rules or what's supposed to be going on in some of these sports. The worst offender? Sailing!
So we were more than a little tickled to stumble across this hilarious spoof Irish sailing commentary from Fran Higgins - via The Huffington Post - in which he says many of the things we've been secretly thinking over the past few days.
Our favourite bits? Well, no offence to Olympic champion Ben Ainslie, but we love it when the commentator refers to sailing as "essentially a very, very boring sport indeed".
He also questions the human rights records of some of the competing nations - and claims to have spotted Steven Spielberg and Tim Henman on board one of the yachts. Warning: he also occasionally uses sweary words.
Love it when real-life reporters and commentators mess up? Then we have a feeling you'll love our video slideshow, too...
More In Comedy
Location, events, stadium: All to know about the Paris Olympics 2024 venues
Where will football finals be held? What’s the venue for athletics? Why is surfing 15,000km (9,320 miles) away? Al Jazeera explains.
The Paris Olympics 2024 will see the Games return to the French capital after 100 years, making it the second city after London to host the Summer Olympics for the third time.
Most of the 329 events will be held across Paris and its metropolitan area, but some will be hosted hundreds of kilometres away from the city, and the surfing competition will be hosted over 15,000 kilometres (9,300 miles) away in French Polynesia.
Keep reading
Can you play competitive basketball in france not if you wear a hijab, meet the fastest woman in iran, setting records on and off the track, a construction worker’s death casts a shadow on france’s olympics journey, one of the biggest hurdles for athletes on the paris olympic path: money.
Here’s what you need to know about the 35 Olympic venues:
Aquatics Centre
Location: Paris Events: Artistic swimming, diving, water polo
Located 2km (1.24 miles) away from the Olympic Village, the centre is one of the two purpose-built venues and will host a number of aquatic competitions during the Games.
Bercy Arena
Location: Paris Events: Artistic gymnastics, basketball, trampoline
Built in 1984 by the river Seine, the indoor arena has played host to international sports events through the years and will be a major Games venue in 2024.
Bordeaux Stadium
Location: Bordeaux Events: Football
The home ground of the French League 1 club Bordeaux will host both men’s and women’s football matches.
Champ-de-Mars Arena
Location: Paris Events: Judo, wrestling
The multicultural and multisport arena in the capital will host several events during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Chateau de Versailles
Location: Versailles Events: Equestrian, modern pentathlon
The grounds of the historic Palace of Versailles will turn into a temporary outdoor arena to host equestrian and modern pentathlon events.
Chateauroux Shooting Centre
Location: Chateauroux Events: Shooting
The centre is one of the largest shooting venues in Europe and will host hundreds of athletes at its multiple shooting ranges during the Games.
Eiffel Tower Stadium
Location: Paris Events: Beach volleyball
France’s most famous landmark will host the beach volleyball events in its iconic public gardens.
Elancourt Hill
Location: Paris Events: Cycling – mountain bike
The hill is the highest point in the Paris region and will offer mountain bike cycling athletes breathtaking views of the city as they traverse the trail.
Geoffery-Guichard Stadium
Location: Saint-Etienne Events: Football
An icon in France’s football history, the venue also known as Saint-Etienne Stadium is one of the five football venues for the Games.
Grand Palais
Location: Paris Events: Fencing, taekwondo
Located in the heart of Paris and built in 1900, the famous glass-roofed venue will act as a Games host for fencing and taekwondo events before going back to hosting cultural events.
Hotel de Ville
Location: Paris Events: Athletics
The Paris city hall and its surroundings will be the venue where the Olympics 2024 marathon gets under way.
Location: Paris Events: Archery, athletics and road cycling
The gardens of the Hotel des Invalides will host archery events during the Games, while it will also be part of road cycling and athletics tracks.
La Beaujoire Stadium
Location: Nantes Events: Football
The home of Nantes football club in western France will host men’s and women’s football.
La Concorde Stadium
Location: Paris Events: Basketball 3×3, breaking, cycling BMX freestyle, skateboarding
The newest addition to the Olympics – breaking – will be showcased at the multisport arena in the heart of Paris.
Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue
Location: Le Bourget Events: Sport climbing
Le Bourget is one of the few purpose-built venues for the Games and includes indoor facilities as well.
Golf National
Location: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Events: Golf
The Ryder Cup golf venue in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines will host 120 athletes over its 18-hole course during the Games.
Lyon Stadium
Location: Lyon Events: Football
The home of seven-time French football champions Olympique Lyonnaise is among the stadiums hosting the sport during the Games.
Marseille Marina
Location: Marseille Events: Sailing
The city of Marseille will host multiple sports, with sailing being held on the Mediterranean.
Marseille Stadium
Location: Marseille Events: Football
Marseille football club’s home ground will be one of the football venues during the Games.
Nice Stadium
Location: Nice Events: Football Home to French League 1’s Nice football club, this stadium is by the Mediterranean.
North Paris Arena
Location: Paris Events: Boxing, modern pentathlon The modular arena at the Villepinte Exhibition Centre will come to life for the Games to host the preliminary round of boxing and the fencing ranking round of the modern pentathlon.
Parc de Princes
Location: Paris Events: Football The iconic home of the Paris Saint-Germain football club has hosted several international sports events since its opening in 1972 and will host both men’s and women’s gold medal football matches.
Paris La Defense Arena
Location: Paris Events: Swimming and water polo The modular multipurpose venue in Nanterre, a northern suburb of Paris, has hosted various sports and cultural events since its opening in 2017 and will be the home of swimming and water polo competitions during the Games.
Pierre Mauroy Stadium
Location: Lille Events: Basketball and handball
Home to the famous French football club Lille, the stadium is located over 200km (124 miles) north of the host city, Paris.
Basketball stars from around the world will light up the 50,000-capacity venue during the Games.
Pont Alexandre III
Location: Paris Events: Road cycling, marathon swimming and triathlon
The famous bridge on the river Seine will turn into an Olympic venue come July. It will act as a viewing point for open water marathon swimming and the triathlon, as well as a part of the road cycling competition.
Porte de La Chappelle Arena
Location: Paris Events: Badminton and rhythmic gymnastics
Located a short distance away from the Olympic Village, the arena will host a number of cultural events during the Games while also acting as the badminton and rhythmic gymnastics venue.
Stade Rolland Garros
Location: Paris Events: Boxing and tennis
The world-famous clay court tennis venue will be back in the spotlight less than two months after the French Open championship when it hosts the boxing and tennis events for the Games.
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome and BMX Stadium
Location: Montigny-le-Bretonneux Events: Track cycling and BMX racing
The velodrome in northern France serves the country’s cycling needs and will be the main track cycling venue for the Games.
The adjoining BMX Stadium will host cycling’s BMX racing competitions on its newly laid tracks.
South Paris Arena
Location: Paris Events: Handball, table tennis, volleyball, weightlifting
The venue was built as part of the Paris Expo and has undergone several redevelopments since its opening in 1923. It will act as one of the core Olympic events and logistics venues.
Stade de France
Location: Paris Events:
Built for France’s triumphant home FIFA World Cup in 1998, the Stade de France will act as the main Olympic stadium for the 2024 Games.
The country’s national stadium will host rugby sevens and a wide array of athletics events.
Location: Tahiti, French Polynesia Events: Surfing
The venue hosting the return of surfing to the Olympics has been amongst the most hotly debated topics in the lead-up to the Games.
Located 15,000km (approximately 9,320 miles) away from the host city, the small village on the southwestern coast of Tahiti in French Polynesia is touted to offer an “Olympic-class” challenge to the athletes vying for medals in surfing events.
The Trocadero
Location: Paris Events: Athletics, road cycling
The famous venue in the heart of the French capital and across from its most iconic landmark, the Eiffel Tower, will host a number of athletics events and road cycling competitions.
In addition, it will continue to host fans and visitors with activities, performances and viewing platforms for the Games.
The nautical stadium in the north of France was the first newly developed Olympic venue to be delivered for the Games in 2019.
Its lake and white-water stadium will host rowing and canoe-kayaking events for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Yves-du-Manoir Stadium
Location: Colombes Events: Hockey
This historic venue in Colombes, a northwestern suburb of Paris, will become one of the few sports arenas in the world to host two Olympic Games come July 2024.
Built in 1907, the stadium was the main venue for the 1924 Games and hosted the opening ceremony as well as the main athletics events.
This time around, it will host all hockey matches and will later become home to the French Hockey Federation.
⚽ Keep up to date:
You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated Paris 2024 Olympics tournament page with all the news and features, as well as event build-up and live text commentary on selected football, basketball, tennis and boxing fixtures.
News | With venues nearly set for 2028 LA Olympics,…
Share this:.
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Click to print (Opens in new window)
Investigative Reporting
Environment
News | With venues nearly set for 2028 LA Olympics, cities hope for cache, tourist cash
San fernando valley gets three sports as 2028 games stretch from long beach to temecula.
Some cities in the past considered the games a bother, a traffic magnet, or a criminal threat, but the 2028 Olympics four years away have been welcomed by Los Angeles, as with many other Southern California cities designated to host Olympic events.
Inglewood will host three major events: the opening ceremonies and swimming at SoFi Stadium, and basketball at the soon-to-be-completed Intuit Dome.
Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. reflected on the change from holding the opening ceremonies at the Los Angeles Coliseum to holding the ceremonies at SoFi, including the entrance of the torch relay and the lighting of the perpetual flame.
“That will be an iconic, historical event and Inglewood will be enshrined in the legacy of the Olympic games,” Butts said on Thursday, July 18.
He said he was surprised the SoFi stadium would get the Opening Ceremonies, and then more recently LA28 — the committee organizing the 2028 games — named SoFi as the swimming venue.
A pool will be installed beneath the football field surface at the stadium used by the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers and that seats 70,000 for football. During the Olympics it will accommodate 38,000 spectators, the most for an Olympic swimming venue.
The SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
BMO Stadium, located in the heart of Los Angeles on Friday, March 3, 2023 and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum behind it. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
File photo of the Honda Center in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Traffic moving around downtown Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Convention Center on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The morning after Super Bowl LVI the SoFi Stadium is quiet with only a few fans milling about and clean up crews working on dismantling the set up in Inglewood on Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
File photo of a Galway Downs dressage competition in Temecula. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A general exterior view of the Intuit Dome during an art reveal press preview on July 11, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
File photo of the Rivera Country Club. ( Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
People gather around the Kobe Bryant statue outside of Crypto.Com Arena on Friday, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Cal State Dominguez Hills held its 2024 commencement ceremonies on Friday morning, May 17, at Dignity Sports Health Park’s Tennis Stadium, in Carson. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)
Celebrating their Super Bowl win, Rams fans converge at the entrance to Exposition Park at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. At left is BMO Stadium. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
During Los Angeles’ 2028 Olympics, Long Beach is set to host water polo, handball, triathlon (Olympic and Paralympic), marathon swimming, BMX racing and sailing, with the potential of more events being added as venues develop. A Long Beach Sports Park at and near the Long Beach Convention Center will be the focal point here, but the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier will host sailing, and other events run down the coast. (Courtesy rendering)
File photo of the NASCAR Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
SoFi was built with flexibility in mind, Butts said, and “it was designed so the lower levels are convertible.”
LA28 wrote in an emailed response on July 19, “LA28 has the additional complexity of hosting the Opening Ceremony on top of the pool which will take some additional time to add that structural overlay. But the pool, and training pool, will be ready in time for the Swimming competition.”
Like Inglewood, other areas will host Olympic sports for the first time.
The Sepulveda Basin, a 2,000-acre flood-control channel and a recreational and wildlife area in the San Fernando Valley near the 405 and 101 freeways will be redesigned to host three sports: skateboarding (street and park), BMX Cycling (freestyle and racing) and archery.
“LA28 has always committed to hosting events in the Valley, and we’re proud to assign these youthful, high energy and precision sports that will generate an incredible atmosphere at the venues and a lot of excitement for the community and fans from around the world,” LA28 said in an email.
During the last Olympics in L.A. in 1984, the San Fernando Valley had zero events. Four events were planned in the Valley in 1984 but many residents and environmental groups voiced strong concerns about traffic so the events were moved elsewhere.
Opposition in the Valley was so strong that Peter Ueberroth, who headed up the Olympic Organizing Committee, believed that someone intentionally poisoned his dogs at his Encino home.
Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association and also on the LA28 board, said the sports coming to the Valley in 2028 are a big change from the original bid when the Sepulveda Basin was to have canoe slalom, equestrian and shooting.
“VICA has pushed this for four years. It will be good for the Valley,” he said on July 17, before hopping on a plane to Paris to watch this year’s summer games.
Nancy Hoffman Vanyek, president and CEO of the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber, notes that many BMX bike shops and bike manufacturers have been based in the Valley since the 1970s. Kids took their bikes to makeshift BMX spots — old shopping center lots — and rode the wave of the burgeoning BMX craze.
The idea of BMX being born in the San Fernando Valley is enshrined in the Valley Relics Museum, where 40 BMX bikes from the 1970s and 1980s are on display.
“BMX will be a draw for anyone who grew up in the San Fernando Valley,” said Hoffman Vanyek, who hails from Reseda in the Valley. “BMX was really big here in the 1970s and 1980s,” she said on July 18, adding that there’s a wide age span of riders at BMX events, from teenagers to folks in their 60s.
“These are events that definitely are Generation Z friendly,” said Waldman. “And skateboarding is a part of that.”
The Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber is working with Valley businesses to prepare for the Olympics, in both workforce training and hiring, said Hoffman Vanyek. The tourism sector, including hospitality, retail and restaurants, will experience a boost in business, she predicted.
While the San Fernando Valley lost out on canoeing, the sports of canoe-sprint and rowing went to the city of Long Beach’s Marine Stadium. Sailing will take place in Belmont Shore, while marathon swimming and triathlon events will be held at the waterfront along Alamitos Beach. Water polo — an action-packed sport where players tread water the entire time — will be at the temporary aquatics center at the Long Beach Convention Center lot.
Long Beach has long dealt with water quality issues — particularly in Alamitos Bay, where some of the events will be held. The city — along with many others in the Southern California region — is prone to frequent, large sewage spills.
“Long Beach, they get impacted by sewage spills all the time because they’re at the terminus of the Los Angeles River and the San Gabriel River,” Heal the Bay’s director of science and policy, Katherine Pease, said in a recent interview.
The city said is has been working proactively to address sewage spills and strong storms — both of which can negatively impact the city’s waterways.
“(Long Beach) is taking proactive measures to ensure that the water quality for local beaches and waterways is clean and safe for both athletes and spectators alike,” said Jennifer De Prez, a city spokesperson, in a statement on Friday, July 19.
Nearby Carson scored four Olympic sports hosted by Dignity Health Sports Park, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy: cycling-track at the Velodrome, hockey at The Fields (now training grounds for L.A.Galaxy), rugby at the stadium, and tennis at the Tennis Center. Carson’s velodrome was used for cycling during the L.A. Olympics in 1984.
“We are poised to deliver an unforgettable experience that will leave a lasting legacy of growth, unity, and inspiration for generations to come,” said Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes in a prepared statement. “Together, we will embark on this journey to celebrate the power of sport and the spirit of competition, all while incorporating sustainability and inclusion.”
The small city of Temecula in Riverside County landed the equestrian events at Galway Downs, an equestrian facility near Temecula.
“It’s an incredible boost for establishing a permanent, international stage for equestrian sports,” said Kim F. Miller, a spokesperson for Galway Downs.
“There are fewer and fewer places to keep horses and enjoy them and see them in competition,” Miller said. “So it’s great for people to have access to these sports. And the Olympics will leave behind facilities that are even more amazing.”
Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events include show jumping, dressage and eventing.
Here’s a list of some of the venue sites and sports according to LA28:
Los Angeles
Badminton in the USC (Galen) Sports Center; fencing, judo, table tennis, Taekwondo and wrestling in the Convention Center in Downtown Los Angeles; golf at The Riviera Country Club (Pacific Palisades); weightlifting in the Theater in LA Live! in Downtown Los Angeles; track and field in the Los Angeles Coliseum; diving in the pool in Exposition Park; and artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline gymnastics in Crypto.com Arena in Downtown Los Angeles.
Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area – San Fernando Valley
BMX freestyle, BMX races, skateboarding, archery
Cycling at track in Velodrome, hockey at The Fields, rugby sevens in the stadium, tennis in the Tennis Center
Canoe sprint and rowing in the Marine Stadium, handball in the Arena, marathon swimming and triathlon at the waterfront, sailing in Belmont Shore, water polo in the Convention Center Lot
Opening Ceremonies and swimming at SoFi Stadium, basketball at Intuit Dome
Equestrian events at Galway Downs, just outside city limits
The Associated Press and SCNG staff writers Kristy Hutchings and Delilah Brumer contributed to this article.
Newsroom Guidelines
Report an Error
More in News
National Politics | Ex-Trump moneyman Allen Weisselberg released early from Rikers
National News | Suspected Taylor Swift stalker arrested at Eras Tour after Travis Kelce threats
SUBSCRIBER ONLY
News | some southern california hospitals mildly impacted by global it outage.
Vietnam Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, country’s most powerful leader, dies at age 80
What is a Formula Kite in Olympic sailing?
As the fastest sport at Paris 2024, kite foiling is as spectacular as it is unpredictable.
Here’s your whistlestop guide to the Formula Kite class.
What is Formula Kite?
The equipment is very straightforward. All that you need to compete is a kite, a board and a foil.
Athletes compete on a board which is about a metre long, attached to a foil which they use to stabilise themselves in the water.
They are then attached to a kite, using a harness, while also having a hand bar to control the kite.
In the water, they can reach speeds of 30 knots while travelling downwind, with races taking approximately 12 minutes.
How does Formula Kite work?
The competition has a slightly different format to some of the traditional sailing classes.
Initially, riders compete in an Opening Series, with the objective to earn as high a ranking as possible. The top two at the end of the Opening Series qualify automatically for the Grand Final, while those ranked third to tenth go into the semi-finals.
In the semi-final, the eight remaining riders are split into two, with those ranked third, sixth, seventh and tenth in one semi, and those who were fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth in the other. The goal is to pick up three race wins, with the third and fourth seeds starting the semi-finals carrying over two race wins, while the fifth and sixth seeds carry over one.
Therefore, should the third seeds win the first race of the semi-finals, that will be enough to book their place in the Grand Final. One rider qualifies from each semi-final, to make up a final four in the Grand Final.
There is a similar format here, where the top seed starts with two race wins, and the second seed has one.
Once again, the goal is to secure three race wins, with competition ending as soon as someone achieves this. That means that the Grand Final can last from one race to as many as six. As soon as the gold medal has been secured, racing finishes, with the remaining medals decided by number of race wins, and ties split by finishing position in the Opening Series.
Who are the previous Olympic medallists?
This will be the first appearance of Formula Kite at the Olympics so there are no previous medallists in the class.
Who are the top athletes in Formula Kite?
On the men’s side, 17-year-old Max Maeder, from Singapore, is establishing himself as the class of the field. A back-to-back world champion, Maeder has taken on the mantle from Toni Vodisek, of Slovenia, while Frenchman Axel Mazella won the Paris 2024 Test Event in Marseille.
French supporters will be hoping for a gold medal in the Women’s Formula Kite class, where Lauriane Nolot has matched Maeder in winning successive world titles, while she also won the Test Event.
Prior to Nolot’s emergence, American Daniela Moroz was the person to beat, winning six world titles, despite still being only 23.
When is the Formula Kite event at Paris 2024?
Formula Kite is the last class to get underway in Marseille, with competition starting on Sunday 4 August, and coming to a close with the Medal Series on Thursday 8.
We use Cookies to keep our website safe and secure, to enhance your website experience, to provide social media features and to help us analyse our site. To learn more about the cookies we use and to learn how to manage your cookie preferences, please see the Cookie Policy section of our Privacy Policy .
Paris Olympics 2024
Lok Sabha Elections 2024
UK Elections
Firstpost Defence Summit
Entertainment
Web Stories
First Sports
Fast and Factual
Between The Lines
Firstpost America
Paris Olympics 2024: Rowing- history, rules, defending champions
It wasn’t until between the end of 17th and the beginning of 18th centuries England when rowing had become a sport. In 1829, the first Oxford and Cambridge boat race was held in England, and is still being held every year. read more
Rowing has a prolonged history dating back to centuries ago. In ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, rowing was a mode of transportation among people and it wasn’t until between the end of 17th and the beginning of 18th centuries England when it had become a sport. In 1829, the first Oxford and Cambridge boat race was held in England, and is still being held every year.
Paris Olympics Complete Coverage: Click here for news, schedule, explainers and more
What is rowing’s history at the Olympics?
Rowing has been a permanent part of the Olympic sports programme ever since the first modern Olympics back in 1896 in Athens, Greece. However, the rowing competition was cancelled that year due to bad weather. Rowing eventually made its official Olympic debut at the 1900 Olympics in Paris.
At that time, only men’s events were held in rowing at the Olympics, with women’s events being introduced to the Games only at the 1976 Montreal Games.
Initially, the United States of America were a dominant force in rowing at Olympics, but that soon changed to Germany and the Soviet Union. Great Britain’s Steve Redgrave, who won five golds and one bronze, and Elisabeta Lipa of Romania, who has won five golds, two silvers and one bronze, are considered to be among legendary figures in rowing.
What are the rules?
In rowing, athletes ride boats with the use of oars that are fixed to the vessel. In rowing, rowing sit with their backs facing the direction of the movement of the boat, which means they cross the finish line with a backward position.
Rowing competitions generally take place across a distance of 2,000 metres, and athletes compete either individually or in teams of two, four or eight members. Double scull and weep rowing are the two different disciplines in rowing. In sculls competitions, rowers hold one oar in each hand whereas in sweep events, rowers hold a single oar with both hands.
The coxswain is someone who steers the boat and gives directions to his crew. To steer the boat, rowers use a rudder that is fixed to one of the rowers using a cable.
There are six different lanes in Olympic rowing events, with one boat in each lane. The boats can change their lane, given that it does not provide a distraction to the other boat in any way. Should a boat obstruct the other boat while changing lanes, then the individual or the team riding the boat becomes disqualified.
The sound that comes from the firing of a gun marks the start of a rowing race. If a team or individual leaves the designated position before the gun is fired, then it’s considered as a false start. A team or individual can afford one false start per race, a second such false start will lead to disqualification.
There is no points system in rowing. The winners are merely based upon where the team or individuals end up at the end of the race.
Who are the defending champions ?
Men’s rowing
Single sculls: Stefanos Ntouskos (Greece)
Double sculls: France
Quadruple sculls: Netherlands
Coxless pair: Croatia
Coxless four: Australia
Coxed eight: New Zealand
Lightweight double sculls: Ireland
Single sculls: Emma Twigg (New Zealand)
Double sculls: Romania
Quadruple sculls: China
Coxless pair: New Zealand
Coxed eight: Canada
Lightweight double sculls: Italy
How many athletes will take part in rowing at the Paris Olympics?
A total of 502 athletes from 14 events in rowing will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
When and where will rowing take place at the Olympics?
Rowing competitions at the Olympics will be held between 27 July and 3 August. Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium will host the rowing competition at the Olympics.
Related Stories
Paris Olympics 2024: Sailing- history, rules, defending champions
Paris Olympics 2024: Handball - history, rules, defending champions
Paris Olympics 2024: Days ahead of Games, wrestler Reetika Hooda struggles to get visa for coach
Paris Olympics 2024: How Japan lost a medal hope due to a smoking rule
Published on April 20th, 2014 | by Editor
Olympic Sailing: Sport versus Spectator
Published on April 20th, 2014 by Editor -->
The desire to present sailing in a manner that provides the spectator with a viewable and understandable sport has required some adjustments to the game. Will the reward be worth the change? The Olympic skiff events, sailed in the 49er and 49erFX, believe it is. Here 49er class secretary Ben Remocker explains…
The 49er class has a tradition of pushing sailing forward, aligning to the Olympic ideals and the Olympic business model. The overall Olympic success is a complex tonic, but the core product is live sports. Live coverage of sailing is difficult and expensive. Traditionally it has also been slow paced and difficult to understand for non-sailors, the vast majority of Olympic customers. That places sailing at direct odds with the (only) people who write checks in support of the sport, a dangerous position to be in. The 49er class aims to counter all of these challenges and make Olympic sailing, at least part of it, align with the Olympic business model.
Identification number comparison small
The 49er class introduced big national flags onto our mainsails in 2010, vastly improving the ability of sailing fans to identify the teams they are cheering for. In 2013 we complimented this move with larger and simpler sail numbers to further help fans identify the teams. It’s very hard to invest emotional energy watching sport when you can’t tell who is who. The rest of sailing has replicated the country flag stickers, and may take further steps in the future.
Intense short course racing is in the DNA of the skiff looking back to our roots in the Sydney harbour 18 foot skiffs. While most Olympic classes prefer large fleet races, the 49er has been running 25 boat gold fleets and 30 minute races for almost our entire history. Shorter intense races have a better chance to entice the public to watch, even though it remains very difficult. They are also fun for sailors and have proven to be a great training ground for Olympic sailors to base pro sailing careers from.
In 2008, sailing introduced the ‘medal race’ concept to the Olympics. Fleet sizes and race duration were reduced, reinforcing the lead taken by 49er, to 10 boats and 30 minutes. This is a positive move in many respects, as the media is able to focus on a smaller pool of contenders than in large fleet, long course racing.
The challenge is to ensure a sound marriage between the finals ‘medal racing’ and the Olympic ideals of live sport. As it turns out, medal racing is still very difficult and expensive to cover live, as the course sizes are large. Further, by reducing the fleet size to only 10 boats, there is little action, and cameras end up having to focus on a single boat in a frame. Any sailing photographer will attest to the fact that a single boat in a frame makes for a boring picture, and the effect is only enhanced in video. The 49er class has been developing and proposing an alternative format to better align Olympic sailing with the Olympic business model and we’ve been calling it theatre style racing.
An example of fantastic medal race coverage came at the Perth2011 worlds . If you count the cameras there is a helicopter, 2 long lens from shore, and a gyro-stabilized high speed motorboat, along with the studio cameras. The end result is great, compelling, multi-boat frames for about the first 3 minutes of the 30 minute race. From half way up the first beat, they start having to resort more often to single boat shots, and by the 2nd beat it’s almost nothing but glory shots of a single boat sailing around. The expense of such a professional set up is no trivial, and is far greater than Olympic sailing can typically justify outside the games itself. This team does a great job, but it’s not long before the commentary team has to start chatting about other business, and very little of the coverage actually focuses on the racing. That’s because very little is happening and it’s also very difficult for the commentators to follow how teams are making progress on each other.
Making Finals Work
What separates theatre style from regular medal races is the focus can be on communicating HOW a teams wins, not just what team wins. This is the basis for sports business. When a sports fan watches highlights of a football match, they don’t just show random images of people playing football, they show the goals, the lead up to the goals, and the critical moments… the same is true in all sports. Take a look at the videos produced at the most recent World Cup Event. The coverage is of a start, a mark rounding, and a narrator saying what happened. At no point does anyone ever discuss sport at all… while we may feel it is novel even to have any coverage at all, it is necessary to be able to cover the actual sport, the moments that define the races, to ever be really successful. This is not meant to be critical of the teams producing these videos. On a small budget it is almost impossible to show the story unfolding.
A great example of the difference happened in Palma. In race 2 of the 49erFX, Grael/Kunze is 6 points up on Nielsen/Olsen with 2 races to go.
She comes off the line well, has a chance to tack and cross, is blocked by the Swedes and knocked back in the pack. She then gets a great lane to the windward mark, but as she’s on port has to duck the line of boats, dropping her to ninth place at the windward mark, essentially tied with Nielsen who is up in 3rd. Then on the downwind, the finds a passing lane on the outside, comes in to the leeward mark with speed and passes 6 boats, including Nielsen to move up to 3rd place and secure the regatta victory. Here is the full race and full day finals coverage, for those who want to watch great fleet racing. The smaller geometry of theatre racing and shorter race target times allow a single video team to capture compelling visual images and the story of the race on a manageable budget.
The Process
When looking at where the class is now, with theatre style racing, 3 races, single points, 2 laps, 10 minutes, 10 boats, no drops, 600m by 325m maximum geometry, it’s important to look back at how we got here. The 49er class and sailors have spent much time defending this version of progress to ISAF and the rest of the Olympic community.
In 2009/10, the format topic emerged in the 49er class at the executive committee level. The original goal was to be so aligned with the Olympic business model that NBC would want to broadcast the final race of the 49er (and now 49erFX) in Rio. For those of you who follow the Olympics, you’ll know that the NBC broadcast rights account for about 50% of Olympic revenues. We set out this goal and went through what else we thought was necessary to secure Olympic sailing’s future. Crowning a worthy champion, the winner of the last race winning the regatta, ensuring fair sailing were all listed in some of the early publications.
After waiting for the 2012 Olympic cycle to conclude, we set out to test many options knowing that a theoretical discussion only would result in painful arguing but no facts. There were a number of casual tests, outside of formal regattas, but the first formal test was at the 2012 Europeans. We had a full day of 3 race ’rounds’ , and the winner after each round moved forward to the next round. Then in the final, with the top teams, the first 4 would make it to the grand final for a single race, winner takes all, race. This was to be the NBC Race .
After the regatta, we solicited feedback from the sailors who participated, the broadcasters, and continued the discussion. Top sailors gave feedback that they enjoyed the day, but felt that a single final race, winner takes all was unfair. It broke from the long tradition of the sport of having the winner of a series take home the crown. We listened to all the feedback and there were two other aspects of the winner takes all final that pushed it off our agenda:
1. The observation that watching a boat in the lead of a sail boat race is often the least interesting part of the race. It’s the battles, most often in the middle of the pack, that are the most interesting to watch.
2. To ensure fairness, a paramount goal, we needed to shorten the field so much that we had a 4 boat ‘grand final.’ The thinking was that if we are going to have a winner takes all final, all the finalists must be worthy of a win. While 4 boats is still fleet racing, having only 4 boats simplified sailing too much, and made for a boring race.
What we learned from this first test is that even if we were successful and got our NBC race, we would ultimately fail, as the product was too boring to elicit the sort of excitement sports needs to generate fans. This is similar to the current medal race, even executed perfectly it will not result in success for sailing commercially.
After another year of testing and incremental improvements, the 49er class proposed a comprehensive proposal to the wider sailing community through the ISAF meeting process. A three race series, with points added to the weeks totals, would be our TV product. Maybe if we can entertain sports fans on our final day they will learn to love sailing enough to pay attention during the week prior of longer races. There were compromises along the way like increasing our fleet size of eight to ten fall in line with the rest of sailing. We increased the size of the course to 10 minutes and made it 50% wider so teams would have more options and choices while they race. And finally, we decreased the scoring weight of the final day, to appease those who are nervous about change.
The final product is one that does stand up to the boring test. It is visually compelling, intense, a great test of sailing skill, and packaged into a TV and fan friendly complete day. One hiccup is that it is likely that in many of the winners will already be mathematically secured before the final race, but on the bright side, the multi-race format allows for multiple climaxes, where the winner might be decided in race 1 or 2, and then the fight for silver or bronze can become the focus for the remaining race(s).
In a world of increasing education and complexity, it’s time for a sport with as much depth as sailing to emerge. There is purity in many of the Olympic sports, but they are also often so one dimensional that they can drift to boring. If we can package our sport to be exciting and ensure a worthy champion, we may not guarantee ending up on NBC in Rio, but on every TV we do appear, those watching will remember our sport and look out for us in the years to follow.
As the concept solidifies it is important to remember this is only beginning. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done to film, capture, and communicate the sport well. This is becoming increasingly easy with the speed technology is moving and as prices for video broadcasting decrease. Other sports are taking advantage of the same technology, however, and that is why it’s vital for the final product, the live sailing broadcasts and highlights, be exciting. In the first two world cups of 2014, the 49er class has had live, or almost-live broadcasts of a raw video stream. It is only a small step forward to bring all the concepts together and clean them up so they resemble a broadcast that a sports fan can get into. If we do capture the attention of sports fans in Rio, it does us little good if we can’t follow up in the four years to Tokyo.
At times the 49er class has had significant partnerships at events bringing vast resources to broadcast the racing. We must find a series of events, compelling to a partner, where the investments in infrastructure and marketing can pay off. With current race series fragmented into world cups, ISAF worlds, and class events, it is not simple at the moment to bring a consistent product to our fans, but with smart partnerships and compromises it is possible. The lead up events to Rio will be compelling. It’s the first journey for the 49erFX sailors, and they will grow and improve so much we will all be astounded. On the 49er side, there are the famous pro’s, with their distractions and multiple goals out ahead of the Olympic pro’s. By Rio, they will have only one thing on their minds, and it’s unclear who will be victorious. These are both great stories for sailing fans and sports fans alike, and it’s time we tell them. Source: 49er class
Tags: 49er , 49erFX , Ben Remocker , Olympic Games , Olympic sailing , stadium sailing
Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
What Sailboats Are Used In The Olympics?
Last Updated by
Daniel Wade
May 19, 2023
Key Takeaways
Laser is the most popular Olympic sailboat brand in the world
Men and women compete with similar sailboats in the Olympics
Olympic sports have evolved over time and so have the types of boat classes
iQFoil and kiteboarding are making their first appearance in Olympic sailing
Sailors have to adapt to certain boat types and be used to a course
Various types of sailboats are specifically used for Olympic sailing. But what sailboats are used in the Olympics?
The Laser Radial, RS:X, and Nacra 17 are a few of the sailboats used for Olympic games. These are used in different sailing competitions such as dinghy, high performance skiff, and mixed multihull. The Olympic sailing classes will vary and so will the boats being used.
Upon closer analysis, the Laser Radial is arguably the most popular boat when it comes to olympic sailing. A lot of these boats are also great for other activities on the water, not just Olympic competition.
Table of contents
The Types of Sailboats Used in the Olympics
Each time the Olympics occurs the types of races slightly change. This also changes the type of boat that is going to be used. The International Sailing Federation chooses the types of sailboats used in each Olympic games.
For the following boats we will look at the 2024 Olympics taking place in Paris . Men and women will use different boats. There will also be two new events for the first time ever known as iQFoil and kiteboarding so they will be making their Olympic debut.
Men’s Boat Types
The men’s class will be using the following boat types:
Single handed or one person dinghy sailing: ILCA 7
Men’s skiff boats: 49er
Windsurfer (new) – iQFoil and kiteboarding
Women’s Boat Types
The women will compete with very similar boat types as follows:
Single handed dinghy: ILCA 6
Skiff: 49er FX (lighter and slightly smaller than the 49er)
Windsurfer (new): iQFoil and kiteboarding.
Mixed Class
When looking at the mixed class of Olympic sailing they showcase:
Mixed multihull for both men and women: Nacra 17 Foiling
Mixed Two Person Dinghy for both men and women: 470
Boat Classification for Olympic Sailing
As mentioned, the boat types vary based on men’s and women’s racing events for Olympic classes. Each year the classification might change so sailors must be prepared to do their best for a medal race. But what do the boat classifications mean for Olympic world sailing?
Dinghy Sailing
Dinghy sailing uses a small boat meant for one individual to sail and is present in all events across the board for Olympic games. The most common dinghy boat that is raced for Olympic sailing is the ILCA 7 and was used recently in the Tokyo Olympics. The main difference is that the mixed class features a two person sailing competition or referred to as two person dinghy racing.
Windsurfing
Windsurfing requires strong winds in order to be successful. With a combination of strong wind conditions and the waves sailors must utilize both in order to succeed. For the first time ever in the Olympic games the men’s windsurfer and women’s windsurfer will be racing with iQFoil .
Skiff Racing
Skiffs are a flat bottom boat that are withered powered by sails or you can use oars. The women’s skiff uses the 49er FX which is slightly smaller and less weight than the men’s skiff. This allows easier handle for the women’s skiff races since there is less crew weight on board.
Multihull Racing
In multihull races it means that boats with more than one hull are competing. The Nacra 17 Foiling is a catamaran that uses a foil to help race. Depending on the type multihull race that is being ran will determine the type of multihull being used.
Boat Features That Make a Great Olympic Sailboat
A racing boat that is used for a sailing competition on the water is only as good as the person sailing it. However there are boats that are designed to go faster than others and make the difference in gold medals or none at all.
Types of Sails
The perfect combination of sails that are optimized for Olympic games are a bermuda sail and gaff sail. This allows the sailor to utilize more sailing area since there is limited pole space.
Since you have the combination of both sails, it allows you to powerfully sail without having the drawbacks from a longer pole such as difficulty maneuvering and strength needed to change direction. This means you can control the boat more efficiently.
Types of Rigging
Bermuda is the most common sail but gaffs are a close second. With a combination of both this means the rigging setup is likely different the just one or the other. Depending on the rig setup it might be best to operate a few different types in order to see which rigging is best for you.
Easy to Use
The best sailing boats in the Olympic games are ones that sail the fastest but are also the easiest to use. With proper training the boat might not matter a lot if you are experienced but every second matters. You want boats that allow you to execute a sailing plan and remain steady while using in medal events.
What is Olympic Sailing?
Olympic sports have had a variety of changes since the 1900’s. Sailing was introduced during this time and has been a part of the Olympics around 1908. Women were allowed to compete in 1988 for sailing and two Americans won a gold medal.
The phrasing was originally called yachting and then sailing in the 2000’s to help mirror the common way to describe boats on the water with sails. There have been many variations of sailboats that are used as well as the race types conducted. The boat types have grown into specific monotypes due to their size and weight.
How to Be an Olympic Sailor
In order to compete for the 2024 Paris Olympics sailors must compete in a variety of events in order to earn quotas such as the 2023 Sailing World Championships. There are certain qualifications that you must meet before applying.
Sailing World Championships
In August 2023 sailors will compete in the Netherlands to try to earn quotas for various racing events. The following events will take place and the amount of quotas will be given:
Windsurfing: 11 for both men and women
Kite: eight for both men and women
Dinghy: 16 for both men and women and eight for mixed
Skiff: 10 for both men and women
Mixed Multihull: Nine
ILCA World Championships
Men and women that are not yet qualified for the Sailing World Championships can qualify for the dinghy events. The highest rated in the National Olympic Committee can compete for this in 2024 if they are not able to land a spot in the 2023 Sailing World Championships.
Continental Qualification
Sailors that have not yet qualified for the Sailing World Championships and the ILCA can receive quotas among various regions. There are 74 quotas in total that will be awarded which are going to be used for:
31 for women
12 for mixed
Last Chance
The highest ratings in the National Olympic Committee that are not yet qualified from the previous events can receive 34 quota places in the Last Chance Regatta. This event will take place some time in 2024 and include:
Windsurfing: Five for both men and women
Kite: Five for both men and women
Dinghy: Three for both men and women and four for mixed
Skiff: Three for both men and women
Mixed Multihull: Three
Emerging Nations and Universality
Those that are part of the World Sailing Emerging Nations Program who have not yet qualified must compete in the Last Chance Regatta. Based on those results one man and women each per windsurfing and dinghy sailing can earn quotas.
In Universality places there will be four quotas total. Two are for the men’s while the other two are for the women’s. These are only for the dinghy races and are accounted for by the Tripartite Commission once the Last Chance Regatta has been completed.
Related Articles
I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.
by this author
Learn About Sailboats
Most Recent
Affordable Sailboats You Can Build at Home
September 13, 2023
Best Small Sailboat Ornaments
September 12, 2023
Important Legal Info
Lifeofsailing.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies.
Similar Posts
Discover the Magic of Hydrofoil Sailboats
December 11, 2023
Hunter Sailboats: Are They Built for Bluewater Cruising?
August 29, 2023
What Is A Furler On A Sailboat?
August 22, 2023
Popular Posts
Best Liveaboard Catamaran Sailboats
December 28, 2023
Can a Novice Sail Around the World?
Elizabeth O'Malley
June 15, 2022
4 Best Electric Outboard Motors
How Long Did It Take The Vikings To Sail To England?
10 Best Sailboat Brands (And Why)
December 20, 2023
7 Best Places To Liveaboard A Sailboat
Get the best sailing content.
Top Rated Posts
Lifeofsailing.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. (866) 342-SAIL
Reviewing the 2016 Olympic Events >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News
Olympics-Sailing-Britons claim two victories in opening skiff races
2012 London Olympics
VIDEO
JY1509 A New Toy
Nacra 17 Sailing
Footy Regatta Race, Sheboygan, Wi 5-18-08
Ultimate 20 Sailboat Race Finish
5-1-24 Port Townsend Thunderbird Sailing Race 1 and 2
Sailing
COMMENTS
2012 Olympic Sailing
An Irish TV commentator bringing us very colorful comments on this "Laser Radial" (boat) race ...PS : You MUST listen attentively to the subtlies of the eng...
Irish 2012 'Limpic Commentator: hilarious albeit wee Salty! I laughed so hard viewing this--love this paddy's SOH and wanted to copy this 'for posterity'!!...
Hilarious Irish Olympic Sailing commentary
Hilarious Irish Olympic Sailing commentary | Hilarious! 😂☘️ | By Meanwhile in IrelandFacebook. Hilarious! 😂☘️.
Irish Commentary at the Olympics on Vimeo
Accessible version of some hilarious Irish commentary at an Olympic sailing event. Accessible version of some hilarious Irish commentary at an Olympic sailing event. Solutions . Video marketing. Power your marketing strategy with perfectly branded videos to drive better ROI. Event marketing. Host virtual events and webinars to increase ...
Olympic Sailing format: Competition info, scoring, how it works
What is the format of Olympic sailing? All 10 Olympic sailing events are contested in fleet races - meaning a group of boats race against each other with the first boat to cross the finish line named the winner. For each of these classes, competition consists of an opening series and a medal race. A total of 190 races (including medal races ...
Irish comedian confuses media with mock Olympic commentary
Over in Ireland, mention Chris 'The Viper' Tordoff of the Hardy Bucks, and everyone immediately thinks comedy. But when Tordoff's mock-commentary of Olympic sailing went viral six years ago ...
Olympic Sailing history: Records, past winners, best moments, year-by
Olympic Sailing Results by Year. The Tokyo Games were historic in many ways. Norway's Anne-Marie Rindom won gold in the women's Laser Radial, marking Norway's first-ever Olympic gold in sailing. The Netherlands' Marit Bouwmeester, who won silver in London and gold in Rio, rounded out her Olympic medal set with the bronze.
Olympic Sailing
The various sailing disciplines are constantly changing, and boats are designed to be increasingly small and lightweight, placing ever greater demands on both the athletic and technical capacities of the sailors. Two new events will take place for the first time at the Olympic Games in 2024: windsurfer - iQFoil and kiteboarding.
Irish Olympic Sailing Commentary Makes Everything Better (VIDEO)
Aug 6, 2012, 12:56 PM EDT | Updated Aug 6, 2012. Boats from Francis Higgins on Vimeo. Women's sailing isn't exactly the event everyone's excited about come Olympic season, but thanks to this Irish commentator all that's about to change. He's somehow able to take a horribly disorganized mess of boats on the verge of crashing and turn it into ...
Paineful Truth: Olympian Dave Hughes >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News
major sailing news, commentary, ... Rio 2016 Olympic Medalist and World Champion, hosts the Paineful Truth podcast. ... America's Cup Clipper Round the World Yacht Race College Sailing COVID-19 ...
U.S. Olympic Sailing Breakdown
The first boat/board around the buoys and through the finish line is the winner of that race, with multiple races constituting a regatta. The race winner receives one point for that race, second place receives two points, and so on. The boat/board with the fewest overall points at the end of the regatta wins the event.
Olympic Sailing 2024: Where to Watch, Full Schedule
But, historically, the U.S. is one of the most-winning nations in sailing (trailing only behind Great Britain), with 61 medals (19 gold, 23 silver and 19 bronze), according to Sail World, and this ...
This is the 2nd best Olympics commentary
21M subscribers in the sports community. Sports News and Highlights from the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and leagues around the world.
Irish commentary of Olympic sailing: Is this the next Roy and H.G?
VIDEO: the funniest sailing commentary ever. This is possibly the best video we've seen this Olympics. It's commentary on "some boats in a race" from an Irish comedian named Francis "Fran" Higgins. OK, so let's be frank - sailing is not the most exciting sport to watch. But this may very well put it on the map.
Best Olympic Sailing Commentary EVER
1,207. Melbourne, Australia. Aug 5, 2012. #13. That commentary is about what we would expect from the local coverage network, Channel 9, here in Australia who so far have broadcast not one nano-second of a sport in which Aus are looking likely to win at least 3, possibly 4 medals.
Meet the commentators and pundits for SailGP Season 2
Stevie Morrison. Morrison is one of two sailors on our broadcast roster, and he brings a wealth of knowledge to the team. A 49er World and European Champion, Morrison represented Great Britain at two Olympic Games - including London 2012 - and skippered Oman Air in the Extreme Sailing Series. His previous commentary work includes co-presenting ...
Olympic Sailing Guide
The format for Olympic Sailing has varied over the years, including match racing competitions where sailors race head-to-head and are knocked out. In recent years, the competition format has changed, moving towards a combination of full fleet racing and special "medal races" where the top 10 ranked teams compete in final double-points races to ...
WATCH: Hilarious Olympic Sailing Commentary Spoof
Well, no offence to Olympic champion Ben Ainslie, but we love it when the commentator refers to sailing as "essentially a very, very boring sport indeed". He also questions the human rights ...
What is an iQFOiL in Olympic sailing?
Here's a guide for what to expect from the iQFOiL racing at Marseille Marina. What is iQFOiL? A combination of sailing and surfing, windsurfing has been part of the Olympics since 1984 for men and 1992 for women. Different equipment has been used over the years, including Windglider, Lechner, Mistral and RS:X.
What is a Nacra 17 in Olympic sailing?
Let's find out the basics behind Nacra 17 racing. What is Nacra 17? A Nacra is a catamaran, which is a boat that has two parallel hulls of equal size. It is called Nacra 17 because it is around 17 feet long. Nacra 17 became the first-ever mixed sailing discipline at the Olympics with its inclusion at Rio 2016. It is crewed by one man and one ...
What is a 49er in Olympic sailing?
The 49er is a skiff. Skiffs are the high-performance end of sailing - fast, light and tough. It is called a 49er because the hull of the boat measures 4.99 metres. At Paris 2024, the 49er will be raced by two men and was introduced to the Olympic programme for Sydney 2000.
Location, events, stadium: All to know about the Paris Olympics 2024
Here's what you need to know about the 35 Olympic venues: Aquatics Centre. Location: Paris Events: Artistic swimming, diving, water polo Located 2km (1.24 miles) away from the Olympic Village ...
With venues nearly set for 2028 LA Olympics, cities hope for cache
With the Paris Olympics less than a week away, venues for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games are approaching the finish line. Some cities in the past considered the games a bother, a ...
Olympic sailing classes
The Olympic sailing classes have been used in the sport of Sailing/Yachting during the Olympic Summer Games since 1896. Since then, 46 different classes have been used. ... Others filled a niche in a specific area like sailing schools or local club racing. Some faded away. The "Former Olympic Sailing Classes", ...
What is a Formula Kite in Olympic sailing?
The goal is to pick up three race wins, with the third and fourth seeds starting the semi-finals carrying over two race wins, while the fifth and sixth seeds carry over one. Therefore, should the third seeds win the first race of the semi-finals, that will be enough to book their place in the Grand Final.
Paris Olympics 2024: Rowing- history, rules, defending champions
In 1829, the first Oxford and Cambridge boat race was held in England, and is still being held every year. read more Advertisement Helen Glover and Polly Swann of Britain in action during the Women's Pair rowing semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics.
Olympic Sailing: Sport versus Spectator
major sailing news, commentary, opinions, ... In 2008, sailing introduced the 'medal race' concept to the Olympics. Fleet sizes and race duration were reduced, reinforcing the lead taken by ...
What Sailboats Are Used In The Olympics?
The Laser Radial, RS:X, and Nacra 17 are a few of the sailboats used for Olympic games. These are used in different sailing competitions such as dinghy, high performance skiff, and mixed multihull. The Olympic sailing classes will vary and so will the boats being used. Upon closer analysis, the Laser Radial is arguably the most popular boat ...
This Irish sailing commentator's analysis of a contentious Olympic race is utterly priceless. The video contains expert analysis of the race, such as "the race is looking very close… and confusing" and "it's a very confusing scene here we don't know who's in the lead.". He points out the "idiots watching from the sidelines ...
Paris Olympics 2024: Here is the complete list of qualified Indian
India's 117 athletes across 14 disciplines, including Mirabai Chanu and Neeraj Chopra, compete in Paris Olympics (July 26-Aug 11). Government funds 72 of 140 support staff. Gagan Narang is the ...
 "Paris Olympics 2024: Rowing- history, rules, defending champions")
 "Paris Olympics 2024: Sailing- history, rules, defending champions")
 "Paris Olympics 2024: Handball - history, rules, defending champions")
 "Paris Olympics 2024: Days ahead of Games, wrestler Reetika Hooda struggles to get visa for coach")
 "Paris Olympics 2024: How Japan lost a medal hope due to a smoking rule")
 "Paris Olympics 2024: Sailing- history, rules, defending champions")
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
An Irish TV commentator bringing us very colorful comments on this "Laser Radial" (boat) race ...PS : You MUST listen attentively to the subtlies of the eng...
Irish 2012 'Limpic Commentator: hilarious albeit wee Salty! I laughed so hard viewing this--love this paddy's SOH and wanted to copy this 'for posterity'!!...
Hilarious Irish Olympic Sailing commentary | Hilarious! 😂☘️ | By Meanwhile in IrelandFacebook. Hilarious! 😂☘️.
Accessible version of some hilarious Irish commentary at an Olympic sailing event. Accessible version of some hilarious Irish commentary at an Olympic sailing event. Solutions . Video marketing. Power your marketing strategy with perfectly branded videos to drive better ROI. Event marketing. Host virtual events and webinars to increase ...
What is the format of Olympic sailing? All 10 Olympic sailing events are contested in fleet races - meaning a group of boats race against each other with the first boat to cross the finish line named the winner. For each of these classes, competition consists of an opening series and a medal race. A total of 190 races (including medal races ...
Over in Ireland, mention Chris 'The Viper' Tordoff of the Hardy Bucks, and everyone immediately thinks comedy. But when Tordoff's mock-commentary of Olympic sailing went viral six years ago ...
Olympic Sailing Results by Year. The Tokyo Games were historic in many ways. Norway's Anne-Marie Rindom won gold in the women's Laser Radial, marking Norway's first-ever Olympic gold in sailing. The Netherlands' Marit Bouwmeester, who won silver in London and gold in Rio, rounded out her Olympic medal set with the bronze.
The various sailing disciplines are constantly changing, and boats are designed to be increasingly small and lightweight, placing ever greater demands on both the athletic and technical capacities of the sailors. Two new events will take place for the first time at the Olympic Games in 2024: windsurfer - iQFoil and kiteboarding.
Aug 6, 2012, 12:56 PM EDT | Updated Aug 6, 2012. Boats from Francis Higgins on Vimeo. Women's sailing isn't exactly the event everyone's excited about come Olympic season, but thanks to this Irish commentator all that's about to change. He's somehow able to take a horribly disorganized mess of boats on the verge of crashing and turn it into ...
major sailing news, commentary, ... Rio 2016 Olympic Medalist and World Champion, hosts the Paineful Truth podcast. ... America's Cup Clipper Round the World Yacht Race College Sailing COVID-19 ...
The first boat/board around the buoys and through the finish line is the winner of that race, with multiple races constituting a regatta. The race winner receives one point for that race, second place receives two points, and so on. The boat/board with the fewest overall points at the end of the regatta wins the event.
But, historically, the U.S. is one of the most-winning nations in sailing (trailing only behind Great Britain), with 61 medals (19 gold, 23 silver and 19 bronze), according to Sail World, and this ...
21M subscribers in the sports community. Sports News and Highlights from the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and leagues around the world.
VIDEO: the funniest sailing commentary ever. This is possibly the best video we've seen this Olympics. It's commentary on "some boats in a race" from an Irish comedian named Francis "Fran" Higgins. OK, so let's be frank - sailing is not the most exciting sport to watch. But this may very well put it on the map.
1,207. Melbourne, Australia. Aug 5, 2012. #13. That commentary is about what we would expect from the local coverage network, Channel 9, here in Australia who so far have broadcast not one nano-second of a sport in which Aus are looking likely to win at least 3, possibly 4 medals.
Stevie Morrison. Morrison is one of two sailors on our broadcast roster, and he brings a wealth of knowledge to the team. A 49er World and European Champion, Morrison represented Great Britain at two Olympic Games - including London 2012 - and skippered Oman Air in the Extreme Sailing Series. His previous commentary work includes co-presenting ...
The format for Olympic Sailing has varied over the years, including match racing competitions where sailors race head-to-head and are knocked out. In recent years, the competition format has changed, moving towards a combination of full fleet racing and special "medal races" where the top 10 ranked teams compete in final double-points races to ...
Well, no offence to Olympic champion Ben Ainslie, but we love it when the commentator refers to sailing as "essentially a very, very boring sport indeed". He also questions the human rights ...
Here's a guide for what to expect from the iQFOiL racing at Marseille Marina. What is iQFOiL? A combination of sailing and surfing, windsurfing has been part of the Olympics since 1984 for men and 1992 for women. Different equipment has been used over the years, including Windglider, Lechner, Mistral and RS:X.
Let's find out the basics behind Nacra 17 racing. What is Nacra 17? A Nacra is a catamaran, which is a boat that has two parallel hulls of equal size. It is called Nacra 17 because it is around 17 feet long. Nacra 17 became the first-ever mixed sailing discipline at the Olympics with its inclusion at Rio 2016. It is crewed by one man and one ...
The 49er is a skiff. Skiffs are the high-performance end of sailing - fast, light and tough. It is called a 49er because the hull of the boat measures 4.99 metres. At Paris 2024, the 49er will be raced by two men and was introduced to the Olympic programme for Sydney 2000.
Here's what you need to know about the 35 Olympic venues: Aquatics Centre. Location: Paris Events: Artistic swimming, diving, water polo Located 2km (1.24 miles) away from the Olympic Village ...
With the Paris Olympics less than a week away, venues for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games are approaching the finish line. Some cities in the past considered the games a bother, a ...
The Olympic sailing classes have been used in the sport of Sailing/Yachting during the Olympic Summer Games since 1896. Since then, 46 different classes have been used. ... Others filled a niche in a specific area like sailing schools or local club racing. Some faded away. The "Former Olympic Sailing Classes", ...
The goal is to pick up three race wins, with the third and fourth seeds starting the semi-finals carrying over two race wins, while the fifth and sixth seeds carry over one. Therefore, should the third seeds win the first race of the semi-finals, that will be enough to book their place in the Grand Final.
In 1829, the first Oxford and Cambridge boat race was held in England, and is still being held every year. read more Advertisement Helen Glover and Polly Swann of Britain in action during the Women's Pair rowing semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics.
major sailing news, commentary, opinions, ... In 2008, sailing introduced the 'medal race' concept to the Olympics. Fleet sizes and race duration were reduced, reinforcing the lead taken by ...
The Laser Radial, RS:X, and Nacra 17 are a few of the sailboats used for Olympic games. These are used in different sailing competitions such as dinghy, high performance skiff, and mixed multihull. The Olympic sailing classes will vary and so will the boats being used. Upon closer analysis, the Laser Radial is arguably the most popular boat ...
This Irish sailing commentator's analysis of a contentious Olympic race is utterly priceless. The video contains expert analysis of the race, such as "the race is looking very close… and confusing" and "it's a very confusing scene here we don't know who's in the lead.". He points out the "idiots watching from the sidelines ...
India's 117 athletes across 14 disciplines, including Mirabai Chanu and Neeraj Chopra, compete in Paris Olympics (July 26-Aug 11). Government funds 72 of 140 support staff. Gagan Narang is the ...