Sailing
Sailing at Tokyo Olympics: Preview, Guide, Schedule, Indian Players
Everything you need to know about Sailing and the Indian players competing in the sport at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Sailing is a historic sport, and Great Britain has dominated it since its inception. For the first time, India will compete in multiple sailing events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Preview
Sailing has a long history in the Olympic Games. The sport was introduced in 1900 and with the exception of 1904, it has appeared at every Olympic Games. Sailing was previously known as yachting until it was renamed at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics Sailing Competition will feature six classes, four of which will be contested by men and women . The Finn is the oldest class in the Olympic games having been raced since Helsinki in 1952. It is only for men. Two classes will compete for the second time on the Olympic programme. In Rio 2016, the 49er FX Skiff for women and the Nacra 17 — a catamaran and mixed event — made their debuts. The Nacra 17 has evolved to become a fully foiling boat for Tokyo 2020, meaning it literally flies above the water.
Great Britain has earned the most gold medals in sailing, reflecting its prominence as the origin of the competitive sport. Close behind is the United States, and other consistent medalists include Norway, Spain, and France. Recently, Australia and New Zealand have received attention for their efforts to challenge the European/American hegemony.
Guide
Tokyo 2020 Sailing events will be held in the following categories:
Men
RS:X - Windsurfer
Laser - One Person Dinghy
Finn - One Person Dinghy (Heavyweight)
470 - Two Person Dinghy
49er - Skiff
Women
RS:X - Windsurfer
Laser Radial - One Person Dinghy
470 - Two Person Dinghy
49er FX - Skiff
Mixed
Nacra 17 Foiling - Mixed Multihull
Schedule
The Matches will take place from 25th July to 04 August at Enoshima Yacht Harbour. The timings are in IST (Indian Standard time)
Day 1, Sunday 25 July 08:30 - 14:30
- RS:X Men
- RS:X Women
- Laser Men
- Laser Radial Women
Day 2, Monday 26 July 08:30 - 14:30
- RS:X Men
- RS:X Women
- Laser Men
- Laser Radial Women
Day 3, Tuesday, 27 July 08:30 - 14:30
- Laser Men
- Laser Radial Women
- Finn Men
- 49er Men
- 49er FX Women
Day 4, Wednesday 28 July 08:30 - 14:30
- RS:X Men
- RS:X Women
- Finn Men
- 470 Men
- 470 Women
- 49er Men
- 49er FX Women
- Foiling Nacra 17 Mixed
Day 5, Thursday 29 July 08:30 - 14:30
- RS:X Men
- RS:X Women
- Laser Men
- Laser Radial Women
- Finn Men
- 470 Men
- 470 Women
- Foiling Nacra 17 Mixed
Day 6, Friday 30 July 08:30 - 14:30
- Laser Men
- Laser Radial Women
- 470 Men
- 470 Women
- 49er Men
- 49er FX Women
Day 7, Saturday 31 July 08:30 - 14:30
- Finn Men
- 49er Men
- 49er FX Women
- Foiling Nacra 17 Mixed
- RS:X Women - Medal Race
- RS:X Men - Medal Race
- RS:X Women - Victory Ceremony
- RS:X Men - Victory Ceremony
Day 8, Sunday 1 August 08:30 - 14:30
- Finn Men
- 470 Men
- 470 Women
- Foiling Nacra 17 Mixed
- Laser Men - Medal Race
- Laser Radial Women - Medal Race
- Laser Men - Victory Ceremony
- Laser Radial Women - Victory Ceremony
Day 9, Monday 2 August 08:30 - 14:30
- 470 Men
- 470 Women
- 49er FX Women - Medal Race
- 49er Men - Medal Race
- 49er FX Women - Victory Ceremony
- 49er Men - Victory Ceremony
Day 10, Tuesday 3 August 11:00 - 13:25
- Finn Men - Medal Race
- Foiling Nacra 17 Mixed - Medal Race
- Finn Men - Victory Ceremony
- Foiling Nacra 17 Mixed - Victory Ceremony
Day 11, Wednesday 4 August 11:00 - 13:25
- 470 Men - Medal Race
- 470 Women - Medal Race
- 470 Men - Victory Ceremony
- 470 Women - Victory Ceremony
Indian Players
Nethra Kumanan
Nethra Kumanan - Women's Laser Radial
Vishnu Saravanan - Men's Laser Standard
KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar - Men's 49er
At the Mussanah Open Championship 2021 in April, Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian woman sailor to qualify for the Olympics. In Oman, three additional Indian sailors made the Tokyo cut. For the first time, India will compete in multiple sailing events at the Tokyo Olympics, including the Laser Radial, Laser Standard, and 49er. India has never had more than two sailors compete in a single Olympics.
