FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BRISTOL, R.I. (December 12, 2018) – US Sailing Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) has released the selection procedures for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will take place from July 24 through August 9, 2020. The sailing events will take place at the Enoshima Yacht Harbour venue in Enoshima, Japan. Up to 15 athletes will have the opportunity to represent the U.S. in one of the 10 sailing events.
Athletes seeking to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Sailing Team will have the opportunity to do so at major international events in three phases: Early Selection, Middle Selection, and Late Selection.
According to US Sailing’s Chief of Olympic Sailing, Malcolm Page, this procedure better serves the athletes and the country.
“The reframed selection criteria allow for certainty earlier in the cycle for athletes that are performing at the highest level,” said Page. “In addition, the later selections allow greater opportunity for other well performing athletes to qualify and compete at the Olympic Games.”
Selection phases and events for U.S. athletes will include the following:
Early Selection: All Classes
In order to achieve Early Selection, a boat must finish in the top three in at least one of the regattas listed below, have a cumulative series score of seven points or less, and be the only U.S. boat to achieve these results. If Early Selection is achieved, the Middle and Late Selection procedures will no longer apply to the given class(es) that have achieved these results.
Early Selection Events:
Set 1: Japan Series*
- All Classes – 2019 Olympic Test Event – Enoshima, Japan – August 15-22, 2019
- All Classes – 2020 World Series Japan Enoshima – August 25-September 2, 2019
Set 2: 2019 Class World Championships*
- 470 Men & Women – August 2-9, 2019; Enoshima, Japan
- Nacra 17 – November 29-December 8, 2019; Auckland, New Zealand
- 49er & 49erFX – November 29-December 8, 2019; Auckland, New Zealand
- RS:X Men & Women – September 22-28, 2019; Torbole, Italy
- Laser Standard – July 1-9, 2019; Sakaiminato City, Japan
- Laser Radial – July 16-24, 2019; Sakaiminato City, Japan
- Finn – December 13-21, 2019; Melbourne, Australia
*All events listed above must have a minimum of 20 entrants and seven different nations in the specific class to be used for Early Selection
Middle Selection: 470 Men & Women, RS:X Men & Women, and Finn Only
In order to achieve Middle Selection, a boat listed in the five classes above must finish in the top eight at the 2019 Class World Championships, have a cumulative series score of 13 points or less from the two events listed below, and be the only U.S. boat in its class to achieve these results. If Middle Selection is achieved, the Late Selection procedures will no longer apply to the given class(es) that have achieved these results.
Middle Selection Events:
Set 1: 2019 Class World Championships*
- 470 Men & Women – August 2-9, 2019; Enoshima, Japan
- RS:X Men & Women – September 22-28, 2019; Torbole, Italy
- Finn – December 13-21, 2019; Melbourne, Australia
Set 2: 2020 World Cup Series USA Miami*
- 470 Men & Women – January-February 2, 2020; Miami, United States
- RS:X Men & Women – January-February 2, 2020; Miami, United States
- Finn – January-February 2, 2020; Miami, United States
*All events listed above must have a minimum of 20 entrants and seven different nations in the specific class to be used for Middle Selection
Late Selection: All Classes
For classes that have no selected athlete after Early and Middle Selection phases, the U.S. boat in each class with the lowest cumulative score in the events listed below will achieve Late Selection. If there is a tie between two or more boats, they shall be ranked in order of the better score at the 2020 World Championships.
Late Selection Events:
Set 1: 2019 Class World Championships
- 470 Men & Women – August 2-9, 2019; Enoshima, Japan
- Nacra 17 – November 29-December 8, 2019; Auckland, New Zealand
- 49er & 49erFX – November 29-December 8, 2019; Auckland, New Zealand
- RS:X Men & Women – September 22-28; Torbole, Italy
- Laser Standard – July 1-9, 2019; Sakaiminato City, Japan
- Laser Radial – July 16-24, 2019; Sakaiminato City, Japan
- Finn – December 13-21, 2019; Melbourne, Australia
Set 2: 2020 World Cup Series USA Miami
- 470 Men & Women – January 26-February 2, 2020; Miami, United States
- RS:X Men & Women – January 26-February 2, 2020; Miami, United States
- Finn – January 26-February 2, 2020; Miami, United States
Set 3: 2020 Class World Championships
- 470 Men & Women – TBD (March/April 2020); Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- Nacra 17 – February 11-16, 2020; Geelong, Australia
- 49er & 49erFX – February 11-16, 2020; Geelong, Australia
- RS:X Men & Women – February 23-29, 2020; Auckland, New Zealand
- Laser Standard – February 9-16, 2020; Melbourne, Australia
- Laser Radial – February 21-28, 2020; Melbourne, Australia
- Finn – TBD (March/April 2020); Palma de Mallorca, Spain
US Sailing will send a maximum of one boat in each class/event (pending country qualification) to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. This will produce a maximum team size of 15 athletes. Upon approval from the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), the selected athletes will be named to the 2020 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team and will compete in the 2020 Olympic regatta.
All selection procedures have been reviewed and approved by the USOC. For additional details about the selection procedures for the 2020 Olympic Sailing Team, click here.
Learn more about the US Sailing Team.
US Sailing Team Media Contact: Brittney Manning, Communications Coordinator; +1 401-342-7926, olympiccommunications@ussailing.com
About the US Sailing Team
The US Sailing Team is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. US Sailing names the top Olympic class athletes to the team annually, through both event qualification and at the discretion of team leadership. US Sailing helps these elite athletes with financial, logistical, coaching, technical, fitness, marketing and communications support. US Sailing Team sponsors include partners Helly Hansen, Harken, McLube, and Groupe Beneteau, and Marlow Ropes. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics.
About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and advancement for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.