After much debate at World Sailing’s Mid-Year Meeting, a new program of ten Events have been confirmed. While 7 Events at Tokyo 2020 will continue, there are three new events but little other detail, according to Craig Leweck in Scuttlebutt. 

In what looks like major shake-up in Olympic sailing formats, Ireland's Olympic Silver Sailing Medalist Annalise Murphy demonstated her own ability for change last week with an announcement of a new campaign for Tokyo 2020, even though it appears her former Laser Radial and new 49erFx class will now both remain for Paris 2024.

5 Events to remain unchanged from Tokyo 2020:
- Men’s One Person Dinghy - Laser
- Women’s One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial
- Women’s Skiff - 49erFX
- Men’s Skiff - 49er
- Mixed Two Person Multihull - Nacra 17
Note: Equipment for One Person events subject to evaluation

2 Events to evolve from Tokyo 2020:
- Men’s Windsurfer
- Women’s Windsurfer
Note: Equipment and format subject to evaluation

3 new Events for Paris 2024:
- Mixed One-Person Dinghy
- Mixed Two Person Dinghy
- Mixed Kite

Of all the proposals, it was the submission from the Romanian Sailing Federation which was approved. What do we know about these 3 new Events? Not much at this stage.

There are bits of insight in the Romanian submission and the Formula Kite Class, which will be a new form of Sailing to participate in the Olympic Games. Additional statements come from the Finn Class and the 470 Class, which have been used in the Olympic Games since 1952 and 1976, respectively, and hope to retain that status.

The Romanian plan was for the Finn and 470 to remain in use, but all Equipment (ie, boat type) for these Events, or for any other Events for which the Equipment is being evaluated, won’t be decided until the 2018 World Sailing Annual Conference in November.

The challenges ahead are immense. While it is possible to create unique events for the Olympic Games, innovative formats then puts pressure on the Class Organisations which support the selected Equipment. Changes at the Olympic level can be transformative to the wider sport of Sailing.

The National Yacht Club's Olympic Laser sailor Finn Lynch continues to master further challenges in Hyeres as light winds dominated the third day of competition at the Sailing World Cup Series. The 22–year–old has moved up to 13th overall and is now only six points off the top ten overall in his 68–boat fleet.

In the mens 49er skiff dinghy, Ireland's Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle also move up three places to 22nd overall in their 40–boat fleet.

The 647 sailors from 46 nations racing across the ten Olympic disciplines and one Para World Sailing event contested a variable 5-7knot breeze on day three which enabled the light wind specialists to move to the front of their fleets.

French sailors occupy the top three spots in the Men’s RS:X with Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Pierre Le Coq (FRA) leading the way at the front of the fleet.

The fleet sailed two gruelling light wind races that involved an extreme amount of physical exertion as they pumped their sails to make gains.

In the tough conditions, Le Coq did enough to take the lead, “I managed to have a good first race, finishing seventh, but had a bad second race and finished 15th,” he commented.

“The conditions were physically draining and the fleet in these conditions were really close, so you couldn’t afford to make a mistake.

“It was difficult because of the uncertain weather and it was too shifty and quite challenging to predict what was going to happen. This made it hard to be consistent.”

Thomas Goyard (FRA) is three points off in second and Louis Giard (FRA) is third. On the success of the French in Hyères, Le Coq commented, “We train together and we train in Hyères quite often so we know the venue. It’s great to see this quality of windsurfing in France.”

Just one race was completed in the Women’s RS:X. Japan’s Megumi Komine claimed a rare victory, leaving her in 23rd place. Zofia Noceti-Klepacka (POL) retained her lead although it was dented by Peina Chen (CHN) who finished seventh compared to Klepacka’s tenth. Noga Geller (ISR) advanced to third overall after a second.

Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergstrom (SWE) continued their consistency with a fifth and a second from two Men’s 470 races. They are five points clear of Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Wilcox.

“It was a long day on the water,” said Dahlberg. “We had four races, two races got abandoned because the wind dropped but we had a great day with two great starts. Our plan was to keep it simple and we did that well.

“We are halfway through the regatta so far, so a lot can change but we feel very confident running up to the Medal Races.”

Japan’s Tetsuya Isozaki and Akira Takayanagi are 13 points off the leading Swedes in third.

Camille Lecointre’s comeback to the World Cup Series continues to go from strength to strength. Sailing with Aloise Retornaz, the French Rio 2016 Women’s 470 bronze medallist picked up a fifth and a fourth to take a six point lead over Silvia Mas and Patricia Reina (ESP) into Friday’s racing.

“We are in our home country and we do train here sometimes,” said Lecointre. “After finishing fourth in Palma recently, we hope to achieve a medal this time.

“However, we are just using this event to train to be ready for the [Hempel Sailing] World Championships in Aarhus, [Denmark].”

David Gilmour and Joel Turner (AUS) won the sole 49er race which was enough to propel them into the lead, overhauling Poland’s Dominik Buksak and Szymon Wierzbicki who led during the first two days.

The Polish duo finished 32nd in the race and although they discard it, they drop to third. Diego Botin and Iago Lopez (ESP) moved up to second after a fifth.

It is tight at the top in the 49erFX but Norway’s Helene Naess and Marie Ronningen continue to lead after one single race on Thursday. Denmark’s Ida Marie Nielsen and Marie Olsen reduced the deficit to four points to occupy second place. Meanwhile Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) slipped down to third but firmly in contention for gold.

The 17th placed Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey (GBR) won the solitary race and sit in 17th place.

Damien Seguin (FRA) got back in the winning groove in the 2.4 Norlin OD, snapping up another pair of victories. He is now four points clear of Antonio Squizzato (ITA) and six ahead of compatriot Bruno Jourdren.

It was a late finish for the Finn fleet as they came ashore at 19:50. Nicholas Heiner (NED) leads, Jorge Zarif (BRA) follows in second place and Alican Kaynar (TUR) climbed up to third.

The Laser fleet managed to sail two races and although the conditions were similar to the day prior, a significant shift in the leader board occurred.

The early pacesetter, Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) finished 44th and 20th in two races. He discards the 44th but counting the 20th, he has dropped to sixth.

Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) took the initiative and moved up to first but Lorenzo Chiavarini (GBR), Filip Jurisic (CRO), Sam Meech (NZL) and Tom Burton (AUS) are separated by just six points behind him.

In the Laser Radial, Marit Bouwmeester (NED) continues to hold first place however Maité Carlier (BEL) moved up from fifth to second. Finland’s Monika Mikkola shifted up one spot to third.

There was not much change on the Nacra 17 leaderboard. The Italians, Ruggero Tita and Caterina Marianna Banti, hold onto their lead after day three, whilst Ben Saxton and Nicola Boniface (GBR) remain second. The Brazilians, Samuel Albrecht and Bruna Martinelli Cesário de Mello, moved up one place and now sit third.

Friday’s racing will be the final day of fleet racing for the 2.4 Norlin OD, 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17, Men’s RS:X and Women’s RS:X ahead of their Medal Races on Saturday 28 April.

The remaining fleets will complete their series on Saturday with Medal Races following on Sunday.

More solid results for Finn Lynch at the Sailing World Cup is the perfect birthday gift for the Laser Olympic helm in tricky and light winds in Hyeres on the Cote D'Azur.

The National Yacht Club single-hander scored a 21 and 17 on day 2 to move up to two places to 14th overall, six nett points off the top ten in a fleet of 68. Results here.

Lynch, who became Ireland's youngest ever Irish Olympic helmsman when he debuted in Rio age 20, turned 22 on April 23rd.

The other Irish boat competing this week, Lynch's Rio 2016 team mate, Ryan Seaton, now paired with Royal Cork's Seafra Guilfoyle in the 49er skiff, ended day two after five races in 25th place from a fleet of 40.  

At 20:35 local time the last of the 647 sailors from 46 nations competing at the third round of Sailing’s World Cup Series ot back to the dock, marking the end of a long and challenging day.

A foggy morning with no wind became a sunny afternoon with a light 5-8 knot breeze that tested the sailors composure and patience with delays ashore and on the water.

Races were held across every fleet but only the RS:X competitors could complete their full schedule of races as the 49er competitors pulled down their sails under the glow of the marina lights to close the day.

For many years, the Polish RS:X team have based themselves in Hyères for Spring training and with plenty of time on the water, they know the venue well.

Success has followed in both the men’s and women’s categories and could well continue after Zofia Noceti Klepacka (POL), Hyères winner in 2008, 2016 and 2017 advanced to the top of the 44-boat fleet.

Klepacka, a London 2012 bronze medallist, sailed her way to a 5-1-6 scoreline and is seven points clear of China’s Peina Chen. Klepacka was relieved to be ashore after a grueling day in the light winds, "We were on land waiting to go out for quite some time, eating sandwiches and drinking coffee waiting for the wind," explained Klepacka. "When we went out to race we had to pump a lot which made us very tired.

"I am glad that we will start after the men tomorrow so we can get more time to recover so let’s pray for more wind so we can sail."

Much like Klepacka, Chen knows what it takes to achieve success in Hyères following a victory in 2009 and knows she has the skillset to move up the leaderboard, "On both days the wind hasn’t been stable and it’s been tiring for all of us to sail but I think I have really good strength," expressed Chen. "That is why I can compete against some of the best like Zofia and Noga [Geller (ISR)] who are really strong sailors."

In the Men’s RS:X, French sailors continue to occupy the top positions but a new leader has emerged. All of the top racers had a mixed day with good and bad scores combined but Louis Giard (FRA) did enough to grab top spot.

Sitting on 26 points, Giard is three clear of China’s Mengfan Gao and overnight leader Pierre Le Coq (FRA) who are tied.

Three challenging Nacra 17 races were held and Italy’s Ruggero Tita and Caterina Marianna Banti picked up a 1-(15)-4 scoreline to remove the early pacesetters, Ben Saxton and Nicola Boniface (GBR), from the top of the tree.

The Italians recently won gold at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia and finished third at the 2017 Nacra 17 World Championship.

They are lacking a World Cup medal but only have their eye on one colour, "We are here to win," exclaimed Banti. "We have some of the best here, including Santi and Cecilia, and Jason and Lisa. I think the Spanish, Fernando Echávarri and Tara Pacheco are also strong contenders.

"We will try out best and do whatever it takes. Our plan is to just sail as fast as we can."

Iker Martinez and Olga Masilvets (ESP) round up the podium with plenty of races ahead of the 30-boat fleet.

Helene Naess and Marie Rønningen (NOR) moved up to first overall in the 49erFX but New Zealand’s Alex Maloney and Molly Meech shone in the challenging conditions by picking up two race wins. The Kiwis are nine points off the leading Norwegians.

The day’s remaining race win went the way of Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot (AUS), 2016 Youth Sailing World Champions in the 29er, who are making only their second World Cup Series appearance.

Poland’s Dominik Buksak and Szymon Wierzbicki and Australia’s David Gilmour and Joel Turner continue to do battle in the 49er fleet. From two light wind races in a dying twilight breeze, the Polish team picked up a 19th, which they discard and an eighth. Meanwhile, the Australians won a race and count the 13th from the other.

Just one point separates them with two more days of fleet racing remaining. Belgium’s Yannick Lefèbvre and Tom Pelsmaekers are eight points off the leading duo in third.

The 470 Men and Women only managed to complete one race but this saw major shifts on the leaderboards as the discard came into play.

The Japanese team of Tetsuya Isozaki and Akira Takayanagi ascended from seventh to first place, and the Swedes, Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergström drop to second. Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox (NZL) occupy third.

In the Women’s 470, Noya Bar-Am and Nina Amir (ISR) made their way from tenth to first on the, and the Chinese, Mengxi Wei and Haiyan Gao, drop from first to second. Silvia Mas Depares & Patricia Cantero Reina (ESP) hold third place.

Jonathan Lobert (FRA) managed to retain his lead in the Finn despite not finishing his third race. Nicholas Heiner (NED) climbed up from fifth place and finished second whilst Jorge Zarif (BRA) drops from second to third place.

The Laser Radial has proven to be a tough competition between the top racers, even after just four close races. The fleet managed two races which saw a shift between Marit Bouwmeester (NED) and Paige Railey (USA).

Bouwmeester now holds top position overnight, moving up one place whilst Railey dropped to second. Viktorija Andrulyte (LTU) maintains third place.

The Laser pack also managed to complete two races on day two. Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) continues to hold top spot after discarding his fourth race. Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) capitalised in the light winds and moved up from fourth to second, whilst Pavlos Kontides (CYP) dropped from second to third.

Antonio Squizzato (ITA) broke Damien Seguin’s (FRA) winning run in the 2.4 Norlin OD as he picked up the victory in the third race of the series, the only race the fleet held on the second day. The Italian is now just two points behind the flying Frenchman.

Racing will resume at 11:00 this morning, Thursday 26 April.

The National Yacht Club's Olympic sailor Finn Lynch is in the top quarter of his Laser fleet after the first two races of Sailing’s World Cup Series in Hyères, France yesterday.  In what amounts to a good start for the two Irish Olympic sailing team boats competing, 49er skiff pair Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle are just outside the the top half of their 40-boat fleet in 21st position after three races sailed.

Buoyed up by his final race exploits in Palma earlier this month, Laser dinghy ace Lynch took a 31 and and 11 to make a solid start on the Cote D'Azur under his National Yacht Club. He lies 16th from 68.

Results so far are here

The opening scene at the third round of the Cup saw the 647 sailors from 46 nations remain cautious as they laid down markers to build on for a full week of competition.

In a variable 6-11 knot easterly breeze, the competitors looked to achieve good finish positions that would put them in a strong place on the leaderboard for the latter part of the week.

The early races have set the scene and with a light wind forecast ahead, it’s going to be a mesmerising week of competition with all the competitors expecting more close racing.

Video highlights from the opening day are below.

The 49er features 40 strong teams and Poland’s Dominik Buksak and Szymon Wierzbicki had the best of the day, recording a 3-(5)-1 scoreline. They are tied on four points at the top of the leaderboard with David Gilmour and Joel Turner (AUS).

"We started well and that was the key to winning today. Because the shifts weren’t very big, that allowed us to stay at the front from the beginning of the race," explained Buksak on the secret to their consistent performance as those around them failed to do so.

"Our opponents were our biggest challenge," continued Buksak. "We have some top sailors here and it’s a pleasure competing with them. Now that we are on the top, we will try our best to stay there and sail our best throughout the week."

Although the Australians are tied with the Polish team, they picked up a 27th in the final race of the day, which they discard, meaning they’ll have to have a degree of caution for the rest of the week. "We started off pretty well in all our races," said Gilmour, "but we found the wind to be quite tricky because weren’t sure of the wind speeds and shifts.

"In our last race, the wind speed just died, and it was tough competing in that. It was quite packed and highly competitive but that’s what makes World Sailing regattas different because you always get larger 49er fleets."

Turner concluded, "Having a 40-boat fleet, it was tight racing and we couldn’t afford to make any mistakes."

New Zealand’s Logan Dunning Beck and Oscar Gunn follow the leading duo in third.

In the 49erFX, just two races were completed. Denmark’s Ida Marie Nielsen and Marie Thusgaard Olsen snapped up both race victories to open up an early five point lead over Norway’s Helene Naess and Marie Rønningen.

In a bid to win his tenth title in the 2.4 Norlin OD in Hyères, Damien Seguin (FRA) could not have had a better start. The Frenchman won two out of two races and was pleased with his performance, "Today was a beautiful day and a great start to the competition.

"The first race was good, we had 8 knots, but the second race was quite hard because the wind speed dropped to 6 knots and it was a long race – about an hour.

"I would say that I am quite competitive, and I like to win. That kind of hunger makes me push myself and that is how I win most races."

Seguin’s compatriots Bruno Jourdren and Xavier Dagault follow in second and third.

Sixty eight sailors are competing in the Laser fleet in Hyères with nine of the world’s top ten racers and the three Rio 2016 Olympic medallists spearheading the fleet.

In such a highly competitive fleet it’s uncommon for one racer to maintain consistency and dominate. The norm was smashed to bits by Rio 2016 silver medallist Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) who won both the day’s races by huge margins.

"On my first race, I was struggling at the start and kept my main focus in mind," explained Stipanovic. "My plan was to reach the left side, which I did eventually, and then tack for the mark. It was a good plan and it paid off.

"The second race was good, but I struggled with speed but the guys on the right had more pressure, so I decided to tack and clear to the right side which put me back on top."

If today wasn’t good enough for the Croatian, he concluded by putting out a further warning to his rivals, "I hope that tomorrow I will be faster." Pavlos Kontides (CYP) and Lorenzo Chiavarini (GBR) follow in second and third.

Paige Railey (USA) imitated Stipanovic in the Laser Radial by taking another pair of victories. She is followed by Marit Bouwmeester (NED) and Viktorija Andrulyte (LTU).

The Finn fleet was the last to conclude racing as the breeze began to decrease towards the latter part of the day. Race victories went the way of Nicholas Heiner (NED) who is fifth overall and the second placed overall sailor, Jorge Zarif (BRA). Jonathan Lobert (FRA) sailed his way to a second and third which sees him lead.

Pierre Le Coq (FRA) was in fine form on his home waters in the Men’s RS:X fleet. The Frenchman, Rio 2016 bronze medallist, took two races wins and a fourth and holds a narrow lead over Mengfan Gao (CHN) who won the final race of the day.

Only Gao separates Le Coq from three of his compatriots, Thomas Goyard, Louis Giard and Oël Pouliquen who are firmly in the hunt in third, fourth and fifth respectively.

In the Women’s RS:X, Peina Chen (CHN) and Noga Geller (ISR) are locked on five points each at the top of the pack. Hei Man Chan (HKG) and Maya Morris (ISR) are joint third on eight points apiece.

China’s Mengxi Wei and Haiyan Gao grabbed the early advantage in the Women’s 470 and are two points clear of Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR). Camille Lecointre, Rio 2016 bronze medallist, making her first World Cup appearance with Aloise Retornaz (FRA), won the first race of the day and is third overall.

Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergström (SWE) are top in the Men’s 470 fleet, two points ahead of Hao Lan and Bo Zhou (CHN). Race victories went to Paul Snow Hansen and Dan Wilcox (NZL) and Tetsuya Isozaki and Akira Takayanagi (JPN).

The single Nacra 17 race win went the way of Ben Saxton and Nicola Boniface (GBR). They were followed by Ruggero Tita and Caterina Marianna Banti (ITA) and Iker Martinez and Olga Masilvets (ESP).

Racing will resume on Wednesday 25 April at 11:00 local time.

The prospect of the ever–looming Olympic qualifier this August in Aarhus will weigh heavy on the minds of Ireland’s Olympic sailors  Finn Lynch and Ryan Seaton who compete in the Sailing World Cup in Hyeres next week.

Lynch in the Laser, with Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle in the 49er head to France to begin racing next Tuesday at World Sailing’s Sailing World Cup. With cobwebs officially brushed off after the Princess Sofia event (Lynch made Gold fleet in Palma but Seaton and Guilfoyle raced in silver) all 650 competitors from 46 nations are primed to go after a hard winter’s training.

The World Cup series is a series of sailing regattas which offer sailors an opportunity to qualify for the World Cup Final. Hyeres is one of the toughest World Cups of the series, which includes events in Gamagori (Japan); Miami and Hyeres, culminating in the World Cup Final in Marseille. 

Irish Olympic Sailors such as silver medalist Annalise Murphy can look forward to an Italian regatta in their campiagns to Tokyo 2020 following yesterday's announcement that Sailing's World Cup Series, the annual circuit for Olympic sailing and Para World Sailing, will touch down in Genoa, Italy in 2019 and 2020 for the European stopover.

Listen into the prospects of Irish sailors on the Afloat.ie podcast with Irish Olympic Sailing Team Manager James O'Callaghan here. This week it was also announced that star team member Murphy has opted out of August's World Sailing Championships in August leaving the Irish berth open to Tokyo rival Aoife Hopkins.

Organised by World Sailing in collaboration with the Federazione Italiana Vela and Yacht Club Italiano, the Fiera di Genova will host sailors in Spring 2019 and 2020. Set against a dramatic coastline, with racing areas perfectly positioned in front of Genoa's seafront.

The 2019 Series will start at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic venue in Enoshima, Japan this September, before heading to Miami, USA in January. Genoa will be the final opportunity for sailors' to qualify outright for the World Cup Finals, which will be held in Marseille, France, the venue for the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Enoshima will also host the first event of the 2020 series in the autumn of 2019, with Miami following early in the New Year. Genoa will be one of the last big European Olympic class events before sailors' head back to Enoshima for the 2020 World Cup Final; which will swiftly be followed by the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition.

The World Cup Series is a key touchpoint for fans and media to connect to the sport of sailing and develop support for athletes on their road to Tokyo 2020 and beyond. Over 2,000 of the world's leading sailors, representing 75 nations, have competed in the World Cup Series since its inception in 2008.

Finn Lynch, Ireland's only gold fleet participant at last week's important Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta, recovered ten places or so in the closing stages to finish with a 2 and a 9 in 'very hard' conditions.

The two top ten results put the National Yacht Club man into 30th overall, an improvement on what the County Carlow man regards as a 'frustrating' result, due to 'a few big mistakes'. 

Lynch's next port of call on the road to Tokyo 2020, is the Hyeres World Cup event in a few weeks time.

2018 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar

Australia's world champions Mat Belcher and Will Ryan, outstanding winners of a strong, competitive 470 class, were awarded the Princesa Sofia Trophy, the top overall award at the biggest ever edition, as the 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar concluded in light, hesitant breezes in Mallorca today. The regatta attracted 870 boats from 62 different and more than 1200 sailors.

The 2016 Olympic silver medallists won the tricky medal race today to cap an impressively consistent performance, counting all their results inside the top 10 in a high scoring regatta, to win by 39pts ahead of Turkey's Deniz and Ates Cidar. Japan's winners of the class last year at this Balearic showcase regatta Tetsuya Isozaki and Akira Takayanagi finished third.

For eight times world chammpin Belcher, winning the top overall award at a personal favourite regatta, one he has been coming to since the first time as a 19 year old in 2001,is a particular pleasure. He wins the class for the fourth time.

Top three final results:

470 Men
1. Mathew Belcher / William Ryan, AUS, 23 points
2. Deniz Cinar / Ates Cinar, TUR, 62
3. Tetsuya Isozaki / Akira Takayanagi, JPN, 66

470 Women
1. Ai Kondo Yoshida / Miho Yoshioka, JPN, 56
2. Hannah Mills / Eilidh Mcintyre, GBR, 58
3. Linda Fahrni / Maja Siegentahler, SUI, 59

49er
1. Yago Lange / Klaus Lange, ARG, 93
2. Dylan Fletcher-Scott / Stuart Bithell, GBR, 96
3. Mathieu Frei / Noe Delpech, FRA, 97

49er FX
1. Annemiek Bekkering / Annette Duetz, NED, 47
2. Alexandra Maloney / Molly Meech, NZL, 95
3. Odile Van Aanholt / Marieke Jongens, NED, 97

Finn
1. Giles Scott, GBR, 57
2. Nicholas Heiner, NED, 84
3. Andy Maloney, NZL, 95

Laser
1. Matthew Wearn, AUS, 55
2. Sam Meech, NZL, 64
3. Tonci Stipanovic, CRO, 98

Laser Radial
1. Anne-Marie Rindom, DEN, 59
2. Alison Young, GBR, 74
3. Maria Erdi, HUN, 91

NACRA 17
1. Ruggero Tita / Caterina Banti, ITA, 51
2. Ben Saxton / Nicola Boniface, GBR, 77
3. Fernando Echavarri / Tara Pacheco, ESP, 90

RS:X Men
1. Pawel Tarnowski, POL, 34
2. Louis Giard, FRA, 36
3. Sebastian Fleischer, DEN, 48

RS:X Women
1. Lilian De Gues, NED, 38
2. Pei Na Chen, CHN, 49
3. Flavia Tartaglinik, ITA, 65

J80
1. Javier Chacartegui, ESP, 5
2. Sebastian Allebrodt, GER, 11
3. Pablo Ariel, ESP, 17

Dragon
1. Otto Pohlmann, UAE, 11
2. Stephane Baseden, FRA, 17
3. Javier Scherk Serrat, ESP, 20

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition will be held out of Enoshima Yacht Harbour, also the venue for Sailing's World Cup Series event this September, and will feature 350 athletes racing in 250 boats across the ten Olympic events.

With a silver medal in the bag from Rio, Irish sailing has big hopes for Annalise Murphy, Finn Lynch  and a host of new sailing stars, that were in action last week in Palma.

As hosts, Japan receives automatic entry into each event.

As Afloat.ie previously reported, the Hempel Sailing World Championships will be the first opportunity for sailors to qualify for Tokyo 2020. In Denmark, 101 places, 40% of the total quota, will be available for the highest finishing nations. Listen to the recent Afloat.ie podcast on Ireland's chances with Olympic Team Manager, James O'Callaghan.

Six places will be available in the Men's and Women's One Person Dinghy at the 2018 Asian Games and 2019 Pan Am Games.

Class Association World Championships in 2019 will see the awarding of 61 places and throughout the remainder of 2019, moving into 2020, Continental Qualification events will be held to decide the remaining 68 places.

Two Men's One Person Dinghy and two Women's One Person Dinghy spots will be awarded to eligible National Olympic Committees (NOC) through the Tripartite Commission Invitation Places. The International Olympic Committee will invite eligible NOCs on 14 October 2019 to apply for these places.

Each NOC may enter a maximum of one boat per event, a total of 15 athletes (eight men and seven women) at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Download Tokyo 2020 Sailing Competition Qualification System below

With two more days of racing at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta at Palma, the large Irish team there will be keen to make the most of the experience in the heat of strong competition given the countdown is on for the World Sailing Championships in August, where 40% of all Tokyo 2020 Olympic berths are up for grabs. 

Irish Sailing Performance Director James O’Callaghan predicted last month two Olympic berths can be secured for Ireland at the World Championships in Aarhus but if Palma is anything to go by this week, then it still looks like a work in progress for Team Ireland.

'At the midway point in Palma, it's clear the Irish teams still have a lot of work to do before August', O'Callaghan admitted on social media. Still, there were also some positives coming from back from Mallorca.

Perhaps the most encouraging sign came from Rio rep Finn Lynch in the qualifying stages for the gold fleet of the Mens Laser class. Lynch is now working with a new coach, Olympic medalist Vasilij Žbogar has joined Irish Sailing’s High Performance Squad as Laser coach.

All four Irish 49er skiffs had some good individual races but ultimately too many starting penalties cost dearly and meant none of the Irish progressed to the gold fleet, leaving double Olympian Ryan Seaton to conclude "It’s been a difficult two days for us and it’s so easy to make excuses or to simply judge how we are sailing based on looking at some results".

Results from Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta at Palma can be found here

National Yacht Club  Laser Sailor Finn Lynch spent eight hours on the water for a single race yesterday at the 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta but he made it well worth his while by placing seventh in a strong turnout of the mens Olympic Laser class. 

49er development squad duo Sean Dickson and Robert Waddilove of Howth Yacht Club also made the most of flukey opening day conditions and are top of the four Irish 49ers competing after three races. 

Irish Olympic sailing hopes are well represented in Palma, a warm-up before the all important World Sailing Championships in August where Tokyo Olympic berths are up for grabs.

The Irish 49er and Laser teams compete this week and an Irish Finn is in the line-up too, with 1000 sailors, 840 boats and 64 nations competing for Spanish honours.

Irish Olympic sailing hopes are well represented in Palma, a warm-up before the all important World Sailing Championships in August where Tokyo Olympic berths are up for grabs.

Results in all classes are here

The light, unsettled breezes on Mallorca's famous Bay of Palma presented a really testing opening day. With a maximum eight race courses in operation it was often the case that one fleet was sturggling in next to no breeze while classes on the opposite side of the substantial bay was enjoying good racing in 10kts of wind

So the record sized, full capacity Laser fleets, a total of 300 Standard and Radials, only managed one single race while the 49er, FX and Nacra 17 classes still hit their scheduled three race target for the first day.

There was something of a dream return to the 49er class for Denmark's 2008 Olympic gold winner Jonas Warrer. After finishing fourth in Rio Warrer, who has just turned 39, took time out from the men's skiff class and has been focused on M32 racing. But the chance to partner with 19 year old fellow Aarhus sailor Jakob Precht Jensen has re-ignited his Olympic dream, not least to pursue World Championship success this summer on their home waters.

The Danish duo opened their first ever Olympic regatta together with two wins and a discarded 10th to lead the Men's Skiff fleet after three races.

"When you are half way up the first beat of the first race and the second guys are more than 50 metres behind then that is a good feeling." grinned Warrer in the boatpark at the CNA S'Arenal, "And then making two first places really made our day. We started opposite from the pack and lead from start to finish of both races. But, then tomorrow, it can be a different story. But we are confident. We are doing things right and I think we have good speed."

Warrer and Precht Jensen have been together since October but have had little time together in the boat. The Qingdao gold medallist is mixing this programme with coaching different teams. They had a week of training in India as well as time in chilly Denmark when they set out together.

"We are both from Aarhus and so that is a big, big thing for us this year. And then the Olympics is the goal beyond that. We have a good group in Denmark, more than last time."

Warrer last won the Trofeo Princesa Sofia regatta in 2012 with Soren Hansen but missed out on a close selection battle for the London 2012 Olympics where compatriots Allan Nørregaard and Peter Lang won bronze.
"We have a good chemistry and we fit each other well. We have not done a regatta of any type together up until today and so we could not really have hoped for a better start. But tomorrow is another day." Precht Jensen commented.
If the Danish duo had a dream start, the first day of the 49th Trofeo Princesa Sofia Iberostar was also something of a baptism of fire for Britain's Nicola Boniface in the Nacra 17 fleet. Drafted in to partner world championship winning helm Ben Saxton after an injury sidelined crew Katie Dabson, Boniface proved herself up to the task as they sailed 2,1,3 for the day to lie third after the discard is applied. Italy's 2017 Nacra 17 World Championship bronze medallists Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti lead from Argentina's Olympic champions Santi Lange and Cecilia Carranzas Saroli.

"This was really last minute. I arrived yesterday and have not sailed for four months. We had a quick sail for an hour yesterday. It is nice to be back in the boat and the conditions were beautiful, not too physical. Ben and I have been mates for a long time but we are just learning how it works in the boat together. We will just try to enjoy the week and to learn and hope Katie gets better soon." Boniface explained.

Posting a pair of single figure scores in the ultra competitive 470 fleets proved especially tough. Japan's Naoki Ichino and Takashi Hasegawa lead France's Kevin Pepponet and Jeremie Mion in second with GBR's 2012 silver medallist Luke Patience and Chris Grube in third. After bigger breezes at January's Sailing World Cup Miami, where Patience and Grube won from the French duo, Pepponet and Mion were especially pleased to be going well in today's light conditions.
"It was so tough, very shifty with light winds." said Peponnet, "We have a good sensation on the boat even if we have trained in stronger breezes through the winter. So that is pleasing. The last two days have been good in practice so we feel good. We are liking the light breeze."

Mion lifted the 470 European Championship on these Bay of Palma waters two years ago and won this regatta with Nicolas Charbonnier in 2011.

In the 470 Women Switzerland's Linda Fahrni and Maja Sigenthaler who finished fourth here last year open their Sofia campaign with the regatta lead, thanks to a third and a second place.

"It was difficult, shifty and moving around a lot but we had a good start and lead early on the first race, second race was not so good. But it is the first day. Our aim is just to get to the Medal Race and see how we can do. We are looking mainly to getting the nation qualified at the world championships in Aarhus." helm Fahrini commented.

Reigning gold medallist GIles Scott (GBR) was pleased to have 'survived' what proved to be a pretty marginal first day of racing in the tough Finn class, coming away with a solid sixth and ninth to lie second two points behind Spain's Alejandro Muscat.

"Surviving is the word. We had surprisngly windy conditions from the north when we went out but knew it would do the big swing which it did. So from two reasaonably light races, the second one was especially difficult with big shifts and a big pin end biased line. We just got done before the wind shut off completely." Scott explained,

"This is my second event after Miami and I'll go to Hyeres and to Marseille and then Aarhus. Here I am just working on things, little specifics. Events like this are great to work on what you think might be your next gain and then come back to the fleet. That is how the majority of the fleet operate and so why events this are so popular."

Scott adds:
"It is pretty difficult because I am juggling a few balls at the moment. I think it is good for me as long as my time management is good and I am putting all the hours in that I can. I enjoy to stay busy and stay fresh and to keep learning in other areas of the sport. The difficulty is in just managing your time commitment. It is refreshing to be back racing on your own. It is so different and this class is so tactical. You have to be on every decision you make in Finn racing, you just don't get away with mistakes."

New Zealand's Olympic silver medallists Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech lie second in the 49er FX class counting a 2,1 to the Netherlands' leaders Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz who won here last year and opened by counting two firsts.

Meech reported, " It was hard racing, a real eyes out of the boat day looking for the best pressure. We had pretty good starts which is good because we have been working hard on them. And I think we were good at staying calm today, being patient. We have come here after a really good summer at home in New Zealand. We had a good break and then our 49er fleet have been there and some of the international girls came down - the Norwegian girls and the Australians came across for our local regattas so that was god for us. And then the announcement we will get the World Championships in New Zealand next year added a really cool buzz to things down there."

Meanwhile in the Laser class her bronze medal winning brother Sam Meech won the first race in his flight as did Australia's Finn Alexander and Britain's Lorenzo Chiavarini. Women's flight winners were Switzerland's Maud Jayet and Hungary's Maria Erdi. China's Bing Ye, the world champion, won the only race for the RS:X men and compatriot Pei Na Chen leads from the returning British sailor Bryony Shaw, 2008 bronze medallist.