Nations qualify for Rio 2016 at Para World Sailing Championships

Thirteen nations have qualified for places at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition following the Para World Sailing Championships being held out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia.

Seven One-Person Keelboat (2.4mR) spots, five Two-Person Keelboat (SKUD18) places and six Three-Person Keelboat (Sonar) slots were allocated to the following nations at the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships:

One-Person Keelboat – 2.4mR
Austria
Argentina
Czech Republic
Italy
New Zealand
Sweden
Spain

Two-Person Keelboat – SKUD18
Netherlands
New Zealand
Poland
Singapore
Spain

Three-Person Keelboat – Sonar
Ireland
Israel
Italy
New Zealand
Spain
USA

National Paralympic Committees have until 1 March 2016 to confirm the qualification slots they will use. Any unused slots will be reallocated by 1 April 2016. Find out more on Rio 2016 Paralympic Games qualification here – http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/2016ParalympicsSailingQualificationSystem-%5B16640%5D.pdf

Away from the road to Rio, the competition concluded with Damien Seguin (FRA) taking gold in the 2.4mR with Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) defending their title in the SKUD18. And there were some wild celebrations in the Sonar as John Robertson, Steve Thomas and Hannah Stodel (GBR) snapped up the title.

Several athletes will remain in Williamstown for the next ten days with several crews competing at Sailing World Cup Melbourne. From thereon in it’s into 2016, Paralympic year, and sailors will have their eye on the 2016 Para World Sailing Championships in Medemblik, the Netherlands along the way.

Results – http://www.topyacht.net.au/results/2015/paraworlds/index.htm

Para World Sailing Championships website – www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi
 
About the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships
 
The Para World Sailing Championships take place out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia from 24 November to 3 December 2015.
 
As the second and final qualification regatta for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition, seven spots in the 2.4mR, five in the SKUD18 and six in the Sonar will be decided in Melbourne.
 
About the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria

The Royal Yacht Club Victoria (RYCV) was initially founded as the Port Phillip Yacht Club in May 1853, and is one of the oldest yacht clubs in Australia. The Club is situated in Williamstown, Victoria just 13 km away from the centre of Melbourne, with a stunning view of the city skyline, and is steeped in decades of yachting history and tradition. Today RYCV boasts more than 900 members and over 300 yachts on the register making it an ideal club for sailors with all levels of experience.