Sailboats have been a mean of transportation since ancient times. As a sport, Sailing is a unique combination of athletics, skill and technology, with the goal of taming the power of the wind and waves.
At the Rio 2016™ Olympic Games, the Sailing competitions will be held at Marina Gloria, within the Flamengo Park cluster, from 7 to 19 August, 2016.
Inside the competition
The Olympic race is performed with boats categorized into classes, which are defined according to the boat's weights, measurements and equipments. A variety of crafts are featured at the Sailing competitions, from dinghies and keelboats to windsurfing boards.
Each event consists of a series of races, for which the points are awarded according to the finishing position: at each race, the winner gets one point; the second-place finisher scores two, and so on. These points are added and the ten top positions go to the final race (the Medal Race). Unlike the majority of competitions, the winner is the individual or crew with the fewest total points.
Rewinding
Sailing was included in the Olympic Games in Paris 1900. The sport has been featured at every edition of the Games since then, with the exception of the St. Louis 1904 Olympic Games.
The racing format and class categories have continually evolved to reflect advances in yacht design and technology. Equipment advances over the past 20 years have created a trend towards smaller and lighter craft, which outs more and more at proof the athlete's skills.
