Sailing has been in every Summer Olympics since 1900, except for 1904 due to severe weather conditions (weather also cancelled its scheduled 1896 Olympic debut). There are 10 total events, five for men, four for women, and one mixed. Each event requires certain skills from the sailors, varying on the fleet size, shape, and crew size. It is one of the oldest sports in the Olympics and was referred to as “Yachting” until Sydney 2000 when it became known as “Sailing” (also the first Olympic sport to ever make a name change!). For the first few participating Olympic Games, Sailing categories featured larger boats with as many as 10-12 sailors. Since 1924, smaller boats with fewer crew members have been participating in the events.

WHO

Even though women have always been allowed to compete in Olympic Sailing, it was in 1988 that separate sailing events were introduced exclusively for women. This year at Tokyo, the gender split is 60/40, with Paris 2024 planning to be an equal 50/50!

WHERE

The Tokyo 2021 Sailing regattas are hosted on a small island, a little over an hour south of Tokyo, at Enoshima in Sagami Bay, Kanagawa Prefecture. There are six race areas, two host live broadcasts and Medal Races, while one is a reserve area. The venue is the same spot that hosted Sailing at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and a replica of the 1964 torch remains on the island!

COMPETITION

Before Tokyo 2020, Great Britain holds the most amount of GOLD (28) medals in Sailing, but US Sailing holds the most amount of medals TOTAL with 60! US Sailing currently holds 19 Gold, 23 Silver, and 18 Bronze Medals. Other competitors to watch out for are Norway, Spain, and France, with Australia and New Zealand making great effort to break the European and USA dominance.

WATCH

Be sure to watch, support, and cheer our sailors on!  Sailing Schedule  |  US Sailing

LEARN

Want to learn more about the rules and highlights of Sailing? “One Minute, One Sport” explains the sport and how it works in one minute!