Six of US Sailing’s most experienced race officials are serving on the officiating team at the 2024 Olympic Games, working on-site at the sailing venue in Marseille.
“This is an unusually large number from any country and it demonstrates our success in developing high-level officials,” says Matt Hill, US Sailing Race Administration Director.
US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport of sailing, certifies judges, measurers, race officers, and umpires at the club, regional and national levels. Officials who want to work on the world stage seek an additional international certification from World Sailing.
“The pathway for international certification is long and demanding, and being chosen to officiate at the Games truly identifies the best of the best,” says Hill.
This year’s officiating team in Marseille includes six Americans from all over the country, including four women, aligning with World Sailing’s Steering the Course global initiative to bring more women coaches, athletes, and officials into the forefront of the sport.
The US officials are:
- Becky Ashburn (Las Vegas, NV) – International Race Officer (IRO) – Becky will be a digital official, observing tracking data and video feeds of the competition to support the race officers and jury.
- Sandy Grosvenor (Annapolis, MD) – International Judge (IJ) – Sandy will be on the jury to hear protests and requests for redress. Sandy is also an IRO and International Umpire (IU).
- Kevin Hawkins (Newport Beach, CA) – IJ – Kevin will also be a digital official.
- Jeff Johnson (San Diego, CA) – IRO – Jeff will be an on-water race officer, supporting the race committee on one of the race circles.
- Dina Kowalyshyn (Annapolis, MD) – International Measurer (IM) – Dina will be on the Technical Committee, which is in charge of equipment inspection and control, to ensure that all boats comply with class rules and specs.
- Lynn Lynch (Portsmouth, RI) – IRO – Lynn will be an on-water race officer, supporting the race committee on the kites and boards circles.
The Role of Digital Officials
Digital officials watch the races in real time using tracking, broadcast feeds, drone footage, and whatever else is available and aid the course race officers on the water as well as the PRO and DPRO ashore. For example, digital officials may notice a mark drifting or wind shift and be able to alert officials on the water. Additionally, an official on the water may ask a digital official for help identifying which competitor is down at the weather mark, which boat has elected to retire from a marathon race, or whether the angle to the offset mark looks right. Another aspect of the job is gathering both video footage and data to support race officers in a hearing. This can include clips from tracking or broadcast feeds that show start and finish lines, offset angles, mark rounding, and more.
“It is an honor not only to be selected to serve as a member of the race management team for Paris 24, but also to be part of the development of digital officiating,” says Ashburn. “Technology is one of the fastest growing aspects of our sport, with so many opportunities for future applications both for athletes and officials. It is exciting to be on the frontline of these developments at such a high-level event.”
The Role of On-the-Water Race Officers
For Johnson and Lynch as on-the-water race officers, they will be closely communicating with digital officials, including Ashburn and
© Sailing Energy / World Sailing
Hawkins, to best support the race committee. This will be Jeff’s second journey to the Olympics, so he has an anticipation of what to expect, despite the Tokyo 2020 Games being consumed by COVID-19 protocols.
“For the Games in Marseille, I am looking forward to again being present in the moment and taking in the camaraderie among the officials,” shared Johnson. “Each of the appointed race officials from countries around the world make for remarkable company. This is an amazing opportunity to be up close to the game we all are so passionate about and be a part of a world class officiating team.”
The Role of International Measurers
Kowalyshyn is serving as an international measurer, utilizing her expert knowledge of class rules, certification measurement, and high-level inspection methods to lend to the process of equipment control, ensuring that all competitors are compliant.
“I was very gratified to be recognized for all the years of hard work as an International Measurer, and as a World Sailing volunteer leading the committee work for Olympic events and equipment,” says Kowalyshyn. “I am an International Technical Official for the
iQFOiL class and supporting other classes during the Games as well, because of my broad measurement background. It has been a busy two years leading up to the Games, but I am excited for the real work to begin and ensure a level playing field for all sailors competing.
There are 59 International Technical Officials from 33 nations spread across the roles of Technical Delegates, Race Management Team, International Jury, Technical Committee, Event Disciplinary Investigating Officer, and Chief Medical Officer. The announcement also includes a 50-50 gender split in the key Technical Delegate and Chief/Vice-Chief positions.
For more information and the full list of appointments, please visit: https://www.sailing.org/2023/12/06/world-sailing-confirms-race-officials-for-the-paris-2024-olympic-sailing-competition/
For more information on US Sailing certification programs and officials, please visit: https://www.ussailing.org/competition/rules-officiating/
