A leading offshore sailor and former Admiral of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in London says because of the 'possible loss' of the new offshore keelboat at the Olympics he questions whether it is worth sustaining the connection of the offshore world with the World Sailing body.
There were shockwaves sent through fledgeling Mixed Offshore Keelboat campaigns working up to the Paris 2024 Olympic regatta this week with the news that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has deferred the decision on the new class until next May, giving a tight window of opportunity.
Campaigns (including three Irish parings) planning for 2024 are coming to terms with the fact Paris may not now be '50/50' chance.
World Sailing has played down its own disappointment with the news handed to it from the IOC but a World Sailing insider told Afloat: "There are some old school WS dudes who are change-averse who may have put some influence in IOC but French enthusiasm will win the day".
Reaction from offshore quarters to the decision has been swift. Former RORC Admiral Andrew McIrvine, a respected international offshore figure, took to social media to say World Sailing is "a whole distance from the sailors it should be supporting".
McIrvine appears to suggest that the IOC is being influenced by some people within World Sailing who are not pro keelboat. These parties, he says, were never keen on the inclusion of the mixed double-handed offshore and lost the day previously.
Now they appear to be pushing the issue through the IOC, who already have reduced the number of sailing participants recently from 350 to 330 for 2024.
In this scenario, what events will be reduced in numbers to facilitate this? Pro-dinghy people in World Sailing don’t want dinghy numbers reduced. Scrapping the offshore event allows the dinghy classes to retain their numbers with others such as McIrvine suggesting offshore sailing as a sport is not being well represented by WS.
The World Sailing Press statement on the matter this week said the IOC wanted to review 'safety and security' considerations of the new class for Paris 2024 but an IOC statement also issued this week says it wants to assess key considerations around cost, safety and security. Make of it what you will if there is any significance to the omission of the single word 'cost' by World Sailing.
"World Sailing Needs Doublehanded Sailing More than Double-Handed Sailing Needs World Sailing"
Meanwhile, former Olympic and VOR sailor Knut Frostad says World Sailing needs doublehanded sailing more than double-handed sailing needs World Sailing. Frostad tells SEILmagasinet's Mikkel Thommessen in the video below: