Irish Olympic 49er campaigners Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove have been forced into an unexpected change of plans ahead of the first major regatta on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games waters.
Sean Waddilove has withdrawn from this week's San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta through injury, while Dickson will continue racing with Australian Jack Hildebrand as Ireland begins gathering valuable experience at the future Olympic venue.
The regatta, which begins on Monday, is one of the first major international events to be raced on the waters that will host the Olympic sailing competition in 2028.
Irish Sailing confirmed that Waddilove will miss the event and wished him a speedy recovery.
His regular helm Robert Dickson will still compete, teaming up with Australian sailor Jack Hildebrand. The pairing will use the regatta to gain valuable experience of the Olympic venue.
The six-day regatta attracts around 140 competitors from 20 nations across the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 fleets, including 27 Olympians and seven Olympic medallists.
Although medals are at stake, much of the focus is on gathering intelligence about the future Olympic race area.
Competitors have spent recent days learning San Pedro's afternoon sea breeze, Pacific swell and launch conditions ahead of racing.
Germany's Paris Olympian Jakob Meggendorfer described the venue as producing conditions that crews are eager to understand as Olympic preparations gather momentum.
The event also presented an unusual reminder that venue knowledge extends beyond wind and tide. Race officials warned competitors about resident stingrays after two sailors were stung while launching from the beach during training.
Racing begins at 2pm local time (10pm Irish time) on Monday, with three fleet races scheduled each day before medal races on Saturday.
For Dickson, the week represents an opportunity to bank valuable experience on waters likely to become increasingly important during Ireland's build-up to the Los Angeles Games, despite the absence of his regular crewmate.
