US Sailing is announcing a comprehensive pathway and tiering structure for athletes with podium aspirations. Under the leadership of High Performance Director, Marcus Lynch, alongside Olympic Development Director, Rosie Chapman, and Youth Racing Director, John Pearce, the new pathway integrates all levels of high-performance sailing from youth athletes through the Olympic Development Program (ODP) and onto the US Sailing Team.
For the first time in US Sailing’s history, the three programs are formally connected through seven tiers, delivering a transparent and well-articulated process. The new pathway illustrates a commitment to putting athletes first by providing them with a clear understanding of selection procedures and entry opportunities for each group.
“The US Sailing Team has been tiered and formally structured for a long time, but extending this concept down into the ODP and Youth programs is a big step forward for the American Olympic sailing movement,” said Marcus Lynch, US Sailing Team High Performance Director. “This pathway is a continuous and clear trajectory for athletes and an investment in the talent that will make up our future Olympic teams. I’m looking forward to seeing the benefits of this effort come to fruition even beyond Brisbane 2032.”
Paired with new category titles, the US Sailing Team will continue to comprise qualified athletes in tiers 1 and 2 (newly named “Podium Potential Athlete” and “Performance Athlete”). The Olympic Development Program will host tiers 3, 4, and 5 (“Performance Potential Athlete,” “Olympic Development Athlete,” and “Olympic Transition Athlete”) and the Youth Team will round out the pathway with tiers 6 and 7 (the “Youth Worlds Team” and “Youth National Team”).
Athletes on the US Sailing Team will continue to receive the highest levels of funding and resources made possible by US Sailing, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, partners, and donors. Additionally, athletes in tier 3 will receive resources that complement those going to athletes in tiers 1 and 2.
The US Sailing Team is the “National Team,” made up of the top sailors competing in the classes selected for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The roster is assembled according to selection procedures, which are revised annually.
TIER 1: Podium Potential Athlete
Athletes/teams must achieve a top 10 overall finish at: the 2024 Olympic Games OR either of their class’s two most recent scheduled Class World Championships OR the 2025 Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Regatta
TIER 2: Performance Athlete
Athletes/teams must achieve a top 20 overall finish (within the top 50% of the fleet) at either of their class’s two most recent scheduled Class World Championships OR a top 20 overall finish (within the top 50% of the fleet) at the 2025 Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Regatta
Read more about tier status retention, ranking advancement, and more in the US Sailing Team Selection Procedures.
The “Olympic Development Program” (ODP) is composed of athletes competing in Olympic equipment who are working to make the top 20 in the world to qualify for the US Sailing Team.
TIER 3: Performance Potential Athlete
To qualify for ODP Tier 3, athletes/teams must finish within a specific overall position (within the top 75% of the final fleet results) at the Class World Championships (beginning in 2024) OR at the 2025 Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia Regatta:
470, 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17, Men’s Kite, Women’s Kite: Finish 21st – 30th overall
ILCA 6 and Women’s iQFOiL classes: Finish 21st – 40th overall
ILCA 7 and Men’s iQFOiL classes: Finish 21st – 50th overall
TIER 4: Olympic Development Athlete
To qualify for ODP Tier 4, athletes must finish within a specific overall position at any of the following events:
2021-2025 Youth Sailing World Championships medalist
2021 or 2025 Junior Pan American Games medalist
Top 10 overall finish at a 2021-2025 Youth Class World Championship (ex: top 10 at 29er Worlds)
Top 10 overall finish at a 2021-2025 U21/U23 Olympic-discipline World Championship
Top 3 finish at any 2021-2025 College Singlehanded Sailing Championships
Top 3 finish at 2021-2025 Olympic Class North American Championships
Finish in the top 80% of final fleet results at the 2025 Long Beach Olympic Class Regatta
Athletes may also be considered for Tier 4 through resume-based selection based on international Olympic circuit experience on a case by case, class by class basis. To be considered, please submit a sailing resume detailing your Olympic sailing experience to [email protected].
TIER 5: Olympic Transition Athlete
Athletes may be invited to participate in ODP camps and/or Olympic-class regattas at the Tier 5 level based on available resources. These invitations will be based on the following considerations:
Member of the US Sailing Youth Team (Tiers 6 and 7) ready to transition to ODP
Top 3 finish at any 2021-2025 College Sailing National Championship
Sailing experience and athletic ability
Interest in and commitment to Olympic sailing
Goals relevant to future Olympic campaigns
To request an invitation, athletes will need to complete an application form which will be reviewed by the Olympic Development Director. The application link will be posted shortly.
Read more about tier status retention, ranking advancement, and more in the US Sailing ODP Selection Procedures.
The US Youth Team includes the “US Sailing Youth Worlds Team” and the “US Sailing Youth National Team.”
TIER 6: Youth Worlds Team
Up to 16 athletes, one entry per class per country for a single “Youth World Championship” event
Features a set qualification process with selection procedures
TIER 7: Youth National Team
Up to 72 athletes with many athletes per class
Selection is based on results at major events taking place January – March 2025
The Youth National Team represents the USA at Youth Class World Championships (2025 iQFOiL Youth/Junior World Championship, 2025 Nacra 15 World Championship, 2025 29er World Championship)
“We’re super excited to launch a clear pathway for athletes aiming for the US Sailing Team and the Olympics,” said Rosie Chapman, Olympic Development Director. “We’ve never had this level of depth and clarity in ODP. Building trust in a reliable program is a critical part of creating a strong pathway to success. The future is so promising for American Olympic sailing, but athletes need to be able to visualize the route to achieve their goals, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.”
“Adding the Youth National Team is the clear next step in the evolution of our program. We want to give youth sailors a clear goal based on objective results, and a path for national-level support” said John Pearce, US Sailing Youth Racing Director. “Our goal is to support the development of the best sailors in the world, and to build a strong team culture that helps them develop into great people.”
The launch of the three connected programs comes with a new landing page on the US Sailing website under the “Teams” tab. New logo marks tie the ODP and Youth Team into the already familiar US Sailing Team brand. US Sailing Team retains three stars on the aft sail, ODP pares down to two stars, and the Youth Team follows with one star for a related, cohesive identity.
Explore the new Teams pages here
