Useful Facts
- Sailing has been an Olympic sport since 1900.
- The 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition will be hosted by the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy - click here for more information about the venue
- The maximum number of sailors is 380
- There are 10 Olympic sailing events - 6 for men and 4 for women
- Nine of the ten events are fleet racing, one is match racing
- Separate events for men and women were introduced at the 1988 Olympic Sailing Competition
- The most successful Olympic sailor of all time is Paul Elvstrom from Denmark who has won four gold medals in 1948, 1952, 1956 and 1960
- Torben Grael from Brazil has won the most Olympic medals in sailing with 5 medals - gold in 1996 and 2004, silver in 1984 and brozne in 1988 and 2000
- The most successful female Olympic sailor is Alessandra Sensini from Italy who has won four medals - gold in 2000, silver in 2008 and bronze in 1996 and 2004
Explore this website for all you need to know about the Olympic Sailing Competition, of particular interest are:
Rules and Regulations - The Rules governing the Olympic Sailling Comptition
Qualification - More information about the Qualification System for London 2012 and which nations have qualified so far
Not sure the difference between a bow and a boom? Visit our Glossary of terms and find out how to get into sailing here.
History - Take a look back at the Olympic Games since 1900 and the sailing medallists
