A Board of Directors recommendation to select the RS:X as the Men’s and Women’s Windsurf Equipment was rejected meaning a new proposal will be required and the process on selecting the Equipment for the Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat was also confirmed.
Before Council made its decisions on the Paris 2024 Equipment, the Board of Directors updated Council on its current plans for the Olympic Classes Contract. This included the position on implementing World Sailing’s Olympic Equipment Strategy (FRAND) agreed by Council in November 2018. In order to provide certainty for MNAs, sailors and teams, the Board will engage in contractual discussions only until 1 August 2019. If by that time no agreement is reached, the Board will report to Council that no agreement has been concluded and Council will then have to select new Equipment for the relevant Event.
Ahead of the debate, 21 Council members voted in favor of all votes on the Olympic Equipment being held in secret with 20 against. As a result, every vote cast was secret.
Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy
The Laser was selected as the Paris 2024 Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy Equipment, subject to agreement of the Olympic Classes Contract for 2024, following a ballot vote. Under Regulation 21.1.3 (e), the decision on selecting the Equipment has to be made before 31 December 2019. Council members voted on deferring the selection of the Equipment to the 2019 Annual Conference but this was rejected meaning a decision had to be made in London.
The next step was to vote on the Equipment Committee recommendation to select the RS Aero. Their recommendation was rejected.
The process moved to a ballot and Council members were able to vote on the four boats that were part of the process – the D-Zero, Laser, Melges 14 and RS Aero.
The Laser won in the first round of votes. For the Men’s One Person Dinghy, 36 voted for the Laser and five voted for the RS Aero. The D-Zero and Melges 14 received zero votes and there was one abstention. For the Women’s One Person Dinghy, 37 voted for the Laser and four voted for the RS Aero. The D-Zero and Melges 14 received zero votes and there was one abstention.
Men’s and Women’s Windsurfer
As the Men’s and Women’s Windsurfer Equipment is under a re-evaluation procedure, World Sailing’s Board of Directors have authority on making recommendations to World Sailing’s Council. The Board of Directors recommendation was to select the RS:X as the Equipment. 19 Council members voted to accept the recommendation, 23 voted to reject and there were zero abstentions. As a result, the recommendation was rejected. The Board of Directors will now have to propose a new recommendation to the Council.
Mixed Kiteboard
The Equipment Committee recommended to Council that they should approve the IKA Formula Kite Class as the Equipment for the Mixed Kiteboard Event. Forty Council members voted to approve the recommendation subject to agreement of the Olympic Classes Contract for 2024. One member rejected and one abstained.
Mixed Two Person Dinghy
World Sailing’s Council approved the 470, subject to agreement of the Olympic Classes Contract for 2024, as the Equipment for the Mixed Two Person Dinghy following the recommendation from the Equipment Committee. 41 members voted in favor of the 470. One member was against the 470 and there were zero abstentions.
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Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat
Submission M01-19, which proposed a way forward with the procedure for selecting the Equipment, was put forward by the Board of Directors in advance of the Mid-Year Meeting and was approved by Council. 39 members were in favor with two rejecting and zero abstentions. The Submission proposed that World Sailing’s Council shall select a list of different Equipment which it considers to meet the key criteria of the event by December 2019 and then decide on the Equipment, selecting from the list no later than 31 December 2023. The Board agreed to amend the date to meet the key criteria of the event from 31 December 2019 to 31 December 2020 which Council approved.
MNAs, Classes and Manufacturers will now be invited to propose Equipment for the list. A Working Party with members from the Equipment Committee, Offshore Committee and Events Committee will evaluate the Equipment against the key criteria and present the recommended list for Council approval in November 2020.
The list will provide event organizers, MNAs and sailors with diverse opportunities to train and compete in Equipment that is tested, readily available and affordable in their continent. Postponing the decision of the Equipment that will be supplied at the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition will also promote fair opportunities for all MNAs.
Any changes to the Regulations that Council makes must also be ratified by our Annual General Meeting in November.
