Irish hopes for Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification were boosted last week with some strong performances at this month's Test Event in Marseille ahead of August's 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships at The Hague. 

The Dutch event from the 10th to the 20th of August represents the first of three opportunities to qualify for the Summer Olympic Regatta in Marseilles.

The regatta is a once-a-cycle event where the world championship titles for all ten Olympic classes are up for grabs at the same time.

Sailing for Ireland in The Hague are five Dublin sailors and two from Cork Harbour. Three of the seven are already Olympians from both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

2022 World Youth Champion Eve McMahon from Howth Yacht Club sails in the ILCA 6, and her brother Ewan McMahon also from Howth and 2016 Olympian from Rio Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club), compete in the Men’s ILCA 7. Dublin reps from Tokyo, Robert Dickson (Howth Yacht Club) and Seán Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club) and Cork duo Séafra Guilfoyle and Johnny Durcan (both Royal Cork Yacht Club) are all competing in the 49er Men's skiff event.

"A top 16 finish in each of the ILCA events will secure a Paris 2024 spot for Ireland"

The World Championships at the Hague will see 1,400 of the world’s best sailors compete across 10 Olympic and 4 Parasailing events. 107 Olympic places are up for grabs alongside the title of World Champion.

Only one boat from each country can compete in each event at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

A top 16 finish in each of the ILCA events will secure a spot for Ireland at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, while in the 49ers, a top 10 finish is required.

Robert Dickson (Howth Yacht Club) and Seán Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club) will compete in the 49er skiff in The Hague for an Olympic berth at Paris 2024 Photo: INPHO/Bryan Keane

If Ireland does secure Olympic qualification, the Irish sailors in that event will then battle it out for nomination to the Olympic Federation, based on the results of sailors at a pre-determined list of events as laid down in the selection process set down by Irish Sailing’s Olympic Steering Group, a procedure which was not without controversy for Tokyo 2020.

Should Ireland fail to qualify a boat at the World Championships in the Hague, two more opportunities await, but a qualification in The Hague represents the best possible preparation for Paris 2024 and the best indicator that Ireland is in the medal hunt. The remaining opportunities are 2024's class Continental Championships and a final qualification regatta just weeks before the Games.

Hopes are high that Ireland will qualify in all three events. Despite a bumpy start to the pre-Olympic year, there have been some strong finishes, most recently in last week’s Olympic Test Event in Marseille.

The eight-day regatta was the first of four test events run by Paris 2024 organisers to fine-tune their processes – and for the athletes, it was a dress rehearsal for the Games with only one entry per nation in each of the ten classes.

It was also a key performance indicator in the run-up to Paris 2024.

Lynch finished sixth in the ILCA 7 and has, it appears, put his long-standing arm injury behind him. In her first season competing as a Senior, McMahon finished 11th in ILCA 6, a result that included a win in race 8. Dickson and Waddilove placed 13th, just outside the top ten for the medal race final.

The World Sailing Championships begin in The Hague at the port of Scheveningen from 10th August 2023.

World Sailing President Quanhai Li has praised preparations for the Paris 2024 regatta after visiting the test event in Marseille.

The Paris 2024 Test Event concluded on Sunday with many of the world’s best sailors competing across all Olympic classes at the venue on the city's edge, just 5km from the world-famous Vieux-Port.

In what was very close to a full test for the sport at Paris 2024, athlete numbers were actually higher than they will be in August next year when 330 athletes will attempt to win medals in one of the ten events.

Quanhai Li, President of World Sailing, arrived in Marseille having attended the 420 and 470 Junior European Championships in Gdynia, Poland, as well as the Grand Finale of the Ocean Race in Genoa.

Together with World Sailing Chief Executive Officer David Graham, the President met with competitors, Paris 2024 officials, World Sailing staff and volunteers, and Member National Authority officials to discuss their views on the ongoing work to prepare for the Olympics.

Li said: “Marseille is passionate about sailing, and I believe the Marseille Marina will be one of the great venues of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“The journey is only three hours from Paris by train, and fans who visit will experience fantastic sport in a fantastic city.

“It was wonderful to see preparations going so well – the venue is being transformed and will provide a superb legacy for French sailing after the Olympics.

“Last week was a test event whose purpose was primarily to test the venue, the team or the operations on the water including sport, security and medical amongst others. The feedback received from the athletes was extremely positive and World Sailing is confident that the Paris 2024 regatta will be a success for the sport and for the Games.”

Paris 2024 President, Tony Estanguet said: “We were delighted with the overwhelming success of our first major test event for the Paris 2024 Games.

“Marseille, with its changing wind directions, the low tides and good visibility, has proved to be a perfect site to host sailing competitions and we look forward to a repeat, in 2024, of the fantastic sporting performances we saw over the last 10 days.

“We equally look forward to the strong legacy that these Games will leave for the city. The nautical base that will remain after the Games will provide the people of Marseilles with a very fine site for sailing - for amateurs all the way through to elite athletes.

“I want to take to take this opportunity to thank all of the different national and international authorities who contributed to success of this event, including of course our friends from World Sailing.”

An ultra-consistent Finn Lynch (IRL) is lurking in the hunt for a podium finish at the Paris 2024 Test Event in Marseilles on Saturday after a string of top-ten results in a 42-boat ILCA 7 fleet.

The National Yacht Club's Lynch was as high as third on Wednesday evening, the second time in the series he's been in a podium position, but dropped back to fifth overall on Thursday after scoring an 11th in race nine.

Michael Beckett (GBR) has moved into a commanding position for the title. He suffered his first off day of the competition on Thursday, but the Irish sea sailor bounced back in style to put himself into a strong position ahead of the medal race.

Finishing second and then third, Beckett moved back ahead of Olympic champion Matt Wearn (AUS) in the standings.

Beckett currently sits on 30 points, nine clear of Wearn, meaning that even with double points in the medal race on Saturday, he has a comfortable buffer.

New Zealander George Gautrey won the second race of the day to move up to third on 45 points with Pavlos Kontides (CYP) and Finn Lynch (IRL) lurking in the hunt for a podium finish on 48 and 49 respectively.

Results here

So far, the most unpredictable class of the Paris 2024 Test competition has been the 49er, with six winners in as many races, including an Irish win for Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove in Race 3.

Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie (NZL) took the final win of the second day of action, and that was enough to move into top spot, ahead of Sébastien Schneiter and Arno De Planta (SUI) on countback, with the pair both on 27 points.

However, with the next four teams all sitting between 30 and 32 points, including third place for Mihovil and Sime Fantela (CRO), the 2018 world champions, the Kiwis are well aware of the precarious nature of their position heading into the rest day.

McHardie said: “It was a super tricky day, it was unbelievably shifty with big puffs and big lulls so it was all about getting off the start line, it was a bit of a left-hand track, so you needed a good start, and then go left, that made for an ok race.

“I’m sure there will always be a target on the back, but we’ll go out there and race our best. It’s not a bad place to be coming into a rest day. It was always about coming here to do the best we can, so to come into a lay-day in first, we’re pretty stoked.”

The 49er fleet has a scheduled day off on Thursday as the ten fleets share 4-course areas in this Field of Play Test.

More from the 49er class association here and a (glitchy) results link here

The Maxi trimaran Banque Populaire XI will bring the Olympic flame across the Atlantic next summer as part of the torch relay en route to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Skipper Armel Le Cléac’h will lead a legendary crew for the historic voyage from 7 June 2024 from Brest to Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe and then Fort-de-France in Martinique.

It will mark the first time in the Games’ history in the modern era that the Olympic flame crosses the ocean by sail — carried by the winds aboard one of the fastest sailboats in the world, the Maxi Banque Populaire XI.

The boat’s title sponsor Banque Populaire is also official sponsor of the Olympic torch relay and a premium partner of Paris 2024.

Tony Estanguet, president of the organising committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games said: “The Olympic torch relay will be an event in its own right. For 12 weeks, the flame will help unite as many people as possible, promote our territories and generate enthusiasm until the Olympic fortnight.

Christening of Banque Populaire XI during the Transat Jacques Vabre 2021 by Tony Estanguet, godfather of Utim, and in the presence of Edouard Philippe, mayor of Le Havre | Credit: Jean-Marie Liot/Aléa/Transat Jacques Vabre

“The Maxi Banque Populaire XI will participate in this great popular celebration by allowing residents of Brest, Guadeloupe and Martiniquais, as well as all French people, to experience it intensely.

“It is a source of pride to be able to bring the Olympic flame solely by the force of the wind to the other side of the ocean. As sponsor of this boat, I am happy that he can take part in this adventure which will remain etched in history.»

Le Cléac’h added: “I am very proud to participate in this historic event. We are very happy to meet all those who have the same passion for the sea as us, in Brittany and the West Indies and who have been experiencing great offshore racing moments for years.

“It is an honour and a great responsibility to take part in this celebration and to lead the Olympic Flame across the Atlantic, and a joy to share these emotions with all French people.”

As the critical first chance at Olympic qualification for Paris 2024 looms in August, three Irish campaigns get the chance for an Olympic regatta dress rehearsal in July, the results of which will indicate Ireland's medal prospects in exactly one year's time.

Ireland will have an entry in three events which is limited to one per nation, just like the Olympic regatta itself.

2016 Rio veteran Finn Lynch of the National Yacht Club races in the ILCA7 men's single-handed event. Multiple youth Gold medallist Eve McMahon of Howth Yacht Club (and winner of last weekend's Ulster ILCA Championships at Ballyholme) competes in the ILCA6 women's single-handed event.

Finn Lynch of the National Yacht Club races in the ILCA7

Tokyo 2020 Olympians Robert Dickson (Howth YC) and new National E boat champion Seán Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club) make a return after early-season illness in the 49er men's skiff event.

The sailors were selected after a trial series over the two World Cup regattas earlier in the season.

It follows a troubling injury time for some of the squad after the massive Hyeres Regatta where priorities since April have been focused on recovery and rehab.

As Afloat reported previously, Royal Irish's Saskia Tidey from Dun Laoghaire has been named as the Paris Test Event 49er FX Crew for Team GB.

Multiple youth Gold medallist Eve McMahon of Howth Yacht Club competes in the ILCA6

The Test Event is also the final preparation for the first Olympic qualification opportunity for Paris 2024 at the World Sailing Championships in The Netherlands next month.

The nation qualification goals at The Hague will be an Irish boat in the top 16 places by nation for each ILCA event (Men and Women) and a top ten nation place for the 49er men's skiff event.

That event will see Séafra Guilfoyle with Johnny Durcan (Royal Cork Yacht Club) in competition for the 49er men's skiff event, while Ewan McMahon contests the ILCA7 men's single-handed event.

Finn Lynch will not be racing at the Allianz Regatta at The Hague this week, despite his silver medal performance at the North Sea Regatta at the same venue, because the Rio Olympian is focussing on preparations for the Olympic test event in Marseilles from July 9 to 16.

After wrist injury setbacks after Hyeres in April but a 10th at the Europeans in March, the Irish number one finished an encouraging second overall counting seven top-five finishes from ten races at the largest regatta on the Dutch North Sea.

The windy 2023 edition was won by in-form Cypriot Pavlos Kontides, a 2102 Olympic silver medalist. Overall, Lynch beat noted international performer Tonci Stiponavic, the 2016 silver medalist, who finished fourth in the 53-boat fleet.

Howth Yacht Club brothers Ewan and Jamie McMahon are both competing in the men's single-handed ILCA7 fleet at Allianz Regatta at The Hague this week.

The results of the 2023 North Sea Regatta are here 

Irish Olympic ILCA 6 and 7 campaigners for Paris 2024 will be hoping for a consistent Wednesday at Mallorca’s giant 52nd Trofeo Princesa Sofia to get back on track in the all-important qualifying series.

The National Yacht Club's top-ranked Finn Lynch had a 19th result in his opening ILCA7 race but suffered a U flag penalty for early-starting in race two. He is currently lying 124th in a 184-boat fleet.

Lynch's rival for Paris 2024, Ewan McMahon (Howth Yacht Club), rounded off a solid day with a 14th and 12th place to lie 31st, according to official results here.

McMahon's younger brother Jamie lies 142nd.

Jamie McMahon (Howth Yacht Club) in the thick of it on the first day of the  giant 52nd Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Mallorca Photo: Sailing Energy

Shifting wind directions and big changes of wind pressure again taxed competitors and race organisers alike as Mallorca’s giant 52 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca assumed its full size and shape when all ten Olympic classes took to the racing waters over the course of a very long day on the Bay of Palma.

Eve McMahon

McMahon's younger sister Eve racing in the women's ILCA6 event, put the disappointment of an early-starting disqualification on Monday behind her to place seventh in the second race of the day and lies 66th in a 106-boat fleet.

With the programme over the first two days compromised by weather, the organisers need a consistent Wednesday to get the qualifying series back on track. 

Olympic medallists started safely in the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 fleets. The Netherlands' triple medallist Marit Bouwmeester tops the Womens' fleet whilst last year's Men's class winner GBR's Micky Beckett in second today, is sandwiched between Croatia's 2016 silver medallist Tonci Stipanovic who leads and Matt Wearn of Australia the reigning Olympic champion.

"It was a long day for a single race but I am happy to have won it so it was kind of worth it." smiled Wearn, "I was going well in the second race too when they abandoned it and so overall I am quite happy with the way I am sailing. Last year we had 25-30kts on the first race here and I had a breakage which cost me the two races effectively so I am happy to have started well now. We have had a good, big summer of training at home with our squad and some racing at the Nationals Sail Sydney and Sail Melbourne and did some training with the Brits at the venue for the 2024 Worlds and so I think I am in good shape."

Bouwmeester, who has started with a first and third remarked, "That was an ok result. But after two days, we have only done two races. Yesterday we started twice, but both races were cancelled again halfway through, due to lack of good wind. Today, three races were scheduled. Indeed, the other half of fleet has done three and our fleet only two. We are suffering from rain and showers here and they are completely messing up the wind. Yesterday we spent six hours on the water and today seven. They are very long days for very few races."

In spite of spending seven hours afloat and although the conditions were sunny for much of the day with up to 15 knots, the wind direction oscillated over 20-30 degrees and a steady course couldn't be set by the race committee for more than three hours.

Conditions permitting, three further races are scheduled for both ILCA single-handed fleets in the Men's and Women's events for Wednesday which will conclude the qualification round to decide Gold fleets across all classes in the regatta.

Mallorca‘s renowned Bay of Palma is set to see the biggest-ever racing fleet take to its waters as the Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca by Iberostar lifts the curtain on the 2023 Olympic classes season.

Irish Olympic campaigners are in action this morning as Afloat reported previously here

The Balearic showcase ‘Sofia’ always marks the critical point at which winter and spring training stops and the serious business of racing, measuring up against full-scale opposition, starts in earnest.

Club Nàutic S’Arenal

From their various training hubs and complexes, the classes converge on Palma for a 52nd edition that carries even more importance than usual. The period between Olympics compacted this time to just three years and already there are just 15 months or so before Paris 2024.

As usual, some aspiring athletes have been here for between six weeks and two months. Europeans have been in breezy, wavy Lanzarote or Vilamoura, Portugal. But commitments and needs vary. Reigning Olympic medallists, who perhaps have America’s Cup or Sail GP commitments or are perhaps enjoying parenthood for the first time, have programmes pared back to what they consider spells of essential racing and training.

The ‘Sofia’ is the first Sailing World Cup of 2023’s four regattas along with the Allianz Regatta (The Netherlands), the Semaine Olympique Française (Hyères, France) and Kieler Woche (Kiel, Germany). And as such many nations are using 52 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by Iberostar as a trials or observed event alongside with one or two other key regattas to make their team selections for the Olympic test event, the Games dress rehearsal 7-16 July in Marseille.

Italy’s dominant duo in the Nacra 17 foiling multihull, Olympic, World and European Champions Ruggera Tita and Caterina Banti have reduced the volume of their training and racing programme as Rolex World Sailors of the Year helm Tita takes on an increasingly important role with the Italian Luna Rossa America’s Cup challenge.

Looking relaxed, completing his final bits of boat work in the S’Arenal Club boat park last year’s Sofia winning helm enthuses: “This regatta is important for us to validate what we did through the winter because we did not do a lot of volume but focused on good quality in Cagliari with the British (John Gimson and Anna Burnet), the Italians and Santi Lange a bit too. We want to see how the level of the fleet has gone up which it certainly has. I think the level of the fleet is very high now and much more even than this time last year.”

Explaining how their priorities lie, he says, “I will be very busy with Luna Rossa, and so we will just do the key events, here and then Hyeres, we will then train in Sardinia and then do the test event – if we manage to qualify – and the worlds. Qualification is something to be accomplished and of course, the Italians are pushing very hard and working together so the level there is higher all the time...... and of course, they came second at the worlds. Sailing with Luna Rossa is give and take, somethings you can learn on the technical side that you can bring to the NACRA and somethings we practice on the water with the Nacra and we have done this for such a long time that it all helps with Luna Rossa.”

All of the Tokyo medal-winning pairs are racing in the 52 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Nacra 17 fleet. Tita points to their training partners, silver medal-winning British counterparts John Gimson and Anna Burnet as perhaps having a slight speed edge in the lighter conditions which are forecast for the first days of the regatta.

The 470 Mixed fleet has strengthened significantly since it debuted in ‘mixed doubles’ format here one year ago when Spain’s Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman won. Sweden’s Anton Dahlberg and Lovisa Karlsson, European Championships led February’s Lanzarote International Regatta into the final stages but finished last in the medal race. “We had a communication problem then and it cost us but we are confident here, we have been going well in training. I just love sailing on the Bay of Palma with so many different boats around us.” smiles Dahlberg, silver medallist in Tokyo 2020.

Xammar says he is liking the shorter, intense three year pogramme, “I personally like it. We have been able to plan it accurately in advance, not like the Tokyo campaign, which nobody knew would go on to be five years. At a sporting level, I think it is very interesting because a year and a half ago all the athletes were at our maximum peak and in a year and a half we will have to be once again. And in terms of the media it keeps the focus on. A year and a half ago everyone had their eyes on Tokyo and in half a year we will be back into the Olympic year. So I think it is very positive in many areas and it is the same for everyone.”

The 49er skiff class sees Holland’s double world champions Bart Lambriex and Floris van der Werken (NED) starting as favourites along with Spain’s local heroes Diego Botín and Florian Trittel who fit their training and racing around Spain SailGP commitments. Britain’s James Peters and Fynn Sterritt’s won the Lanzarote event and took bronze at last year’s European Championships.

And in the 49erFX fleet the Dutch double world champions must be favourites too. Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz won here last year ten points clear of Brazil’s two times Olympic champions Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze.

The ILCA 6 racing will be fascinating, the fleet is stronger again this year. Canada’s Sarah Douglas was on relentless form after disappointment in Tokyo. But the Netherlands’ new mum Marit Bouwmeester is back in the fleet, hungry for a fourth Olympic medal after gold in Rio 2016, silver in London 2012 and bronze in Tokyo. So too Denmark’s 2020 Olympic champion Anne Marie Rindom returns to the Bay of Palma where she won class at the 2019 Sofia. And the ILCA 7 fleet is as densely packed with talent including gold medallist Matt Wearn who finished second last year behind GBR’s Micky Beckett after the Australian had to fight back from a bogey opening day with DNC due to a technical problem and a 26th.

Top seeds in the Formula Kite Men include Solvenia’s Toni Vodišek (SLO) and 16-year-old Singaporean Max Maeder, first and second at the world championships. Gold, silver and bronze medallists from last year’s Sofia debut were first and second placed French duo Théo de Ramecourt and Benoit Gomez while GBR’s Connor Bainbridge was third. In the Women’s kite event the USA’s Daniela Moroz finally prevailed over France’s Lauriane Nolot.

In the Women’s iQFOiL the duel is likely to be between France’s Hélène Noesmoen and Spain’s local favourite Pilar Lamadrid (ESP) along with Italy’s reigning world champion Marta Maggetti whilst Britain’s Sam Sills has shown strongly in the early stages of several events this season – as he did here last year – but this might prove to be his event. Among the contenders will be France’s Nico Goyard, Germany’s reigning world champion Sebastian Koerdel and Poland’s Pawel Tarnowski, winner of the iQFOiL Games in Lanzarote in January.

52 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by Iberostar - Day 1 programme:

1100hrs
iQFOiL Men, 4 races for Yellow and Blue Fleets

1200hrs
470 Mixed, 2 races for Yellow and Blue Fleets
ILCA 7 Men, 2 races for Yellow, Blue and Red Fleets
ILCA 6 Women, 2 races for Yellow and Blue Fleets

1230hrs
iQFOiL Women, 4 races for Yellow and Blue Fleets

The Princess Sofia Trophy regatta in stunning Palma de Mallorca is arguably the largest – and most loved – Olympic classes regatta in the calendar. It also happens to be the 2023 season opener – and what a season this promises to be. Racing starts on Monday, April 3, and runs until Saturday, April 8.

There have been a few smaller regattas over the winter period, but this is the first biggie, and the who of Olympic sailing will be at it. More than 1,300 sailors from 67 countries are set to compete.

As regular Afloar readers will know, Irish Olympic sailors have already been in action this year at the ILCA European Championships. Finn Lynch finished 13th overall (but a top-10 European finish), and Eve McMahon scored 16th. 

The pressure is starting to mount with Paris 2024 a little over a year away. Each nation will want to get one over on its rivals, while the athletes themselves will be looking to not only better their international competition but also stake a claim to the sole place in each of the ten classes for Paris 2024. 

Palma Bay is known for its ability to chuck all sorts of weather at sailors, which always makes for an exciting week.

Competing for Ireland in the week-long regatta (Monday, 3 to Saturday, 8 April) are Rio Olympian Lynch and Ewan McMahon in the ILCA 7 and his sister Eve in the ILCA 6.

In the 49er skiffs are Tokyo Olympians Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove, and rivals for the single Paris 2024 berth Séafra Guilfoyle and Johnny Durcan.

Dun Laoghaire's Saskia Tidey of the Royal Irish Yacht Club, an Irish Rio 2016 Olympian, competes for Team GB with Freya Black, who will be looking to avenge their 2022 that saw them miss out on the 49erFX medal race by a single point.

The official website featuring results and the full entry list is here, but if you want to track the progress of the Irish, the best place to do so is Afloat.ie. We will update you daily on the results and feature the event's best Irish photos.