With decisions to be made as to the Equipment for the 10 Events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, there weren’t a lot of surprises at the 2019 World Sailing Mid-Year Meeting.

While the debate whether to retain the Laser Equipment for the Men’s and Women’s One Person Dinghy got a lot of attention (it was retained), the decision not to make a decision for the Men’s and Women’s Windsurfer proved to be the shocker.

Retaining the RS:X Class was deemed a lock after it was approved by the evaluation committees and the Board of Directors, but the all-powerful World Sailing Council got the final vote, and their vote was for further review to occur.

The Council was likely swayed by the ‘evolve-or-die’ sentiment which was pleading for foiling Equipment. This doesn’t mean the RS:X won’t ultimately  get approved but rather the delay gives the Council some credit for listening to 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist Dorian van Rijsselberghe (NED) and others.

The reaction of the RS:X Class was predictable. Having been the Equipment for windsurfing since the 2008 Olympics, and eager for Paris 2024 to be their fifth turn, Class Organizations want to stay in the Olympic family.

Click here to read their response and more on Scuttlebutt