More than just a day at the beach

Throughout the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competitions thousands of sports fans have passed through sailing’s spectator area on Flamengo Beach.

It’s almost like any other beach. The usual sights of suntan lotion application, beach mats being rolled out, flip flops being removed immediately, allowing the sand to roll between toes and long wavey hair being whipped up by the sea breeze.
 
However, it’s more than just a day at a beautiful beach, it’s a day at the greatest sporting competitions on the planet.
 
At sailing’s spectator area the fans get to take in some of the competition first hand, witnessing racing on the Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain) course area. Expert commentary gives a blow by blow account of the action unfolding and special sailing guests speak about their experiences throughout the day.
 
The boats are so close to the beach that you can almost hear the shouting at the start line, the roars of ‘protest, protest’ at the top mark and at the Olympic Games, the screams of sailors’ delight at winning gold – that moment is to come in the Paralympic Games.
 
Demonstrations, explanations and discussions on the sport flow and the opportunity to purchase toys of Vinicius and Tom, the Olympic and Paralympic mascots, does not go amiss. Neither does it for the purchase of any other merchandise with t-shirts, pennants, beach towels, novelty hats and miniature replicas of the Games torches all available to purchase.
 
Thirsty? The usual Olympic and Paralympic sponsors are on hand to refresh and hydrate those throughout the day.
 
Those lucky to be there on a finals and for a victory ceremony are almost within touching distance of the podium, giving the athletes a sense of pride as to what they’ve achieved.  
 
The experience is tranquil, calm, spacious and far from the hustle and bustle of an arena. Sailing’s spectator experience at Rio 2016 symbolises what Rio de Janeiro is all about, a beach life mixed with exuberance and passion, leaving the city life directly behind for a short while.  
 
This is not the first time that sailing has been an official ticketed venue at an Olympic Games, but it is the first time at the Paralympic Games with Saturday’s finale completely sold out.
 
At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, an unofficial, free to access spectator area developed on the breakwater as locals enjoyed the action. It was an opportunity London 2012 wanted to pounce on and four years later, sailing’s Olympic ticketed sailing experience was born.
 
The Grandstand was the Nothe and the theatrical drama unfolded within perfect sight of the 5,000 daily spectators who amassed on the gardens of the historic fort.
 
Rio 2016 continued where London 2012 left off and Flamengo Beach has delighted 3,000 fans on a daily basis.
 
Sailing at Rio 2016 concludes on Saturday and if the racing reflects the days gone by, it will be a finale fitting of the stage.

By Daniel Smith – World Sailing

Throughout the day World Sailing will be updating you via our Live Blog, through the 2D and 3D tracking as well as via our social media channels. Find out how to follow below.

RIO 2016 PARALYMPIC SAILING COMPETITION

The Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition will take place at the Marina da Glória, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and will feature 80 athletes from 23 nations competing across three events. Racing is scheduled to take place from 12-17 September 2016 and the competition format for all events is fleet racing.

RESULTS / ENTRIES
A full list of sailors racing at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is available to view here – http://www.sailing.org/paralympics/rio2016/qualification/sailors.php.
Results will be available on World Sailing’s Paralympic Website when racing starts on Monday 12 September – http://www.sailing.org/paralympics/rio2016/results/index.php

LIVE TRACKING
The racing will be available to watch in 2D and 3D via the live tracking. Live tracking will be available when racing commences via – http://www.sailing.org/paralympics/rio2016/multimedia/live-tracking.php#.V9G2ulfwykg

COMPETITION STATUS
The Competition Status Screen feeds in straight from the Race Committee boats with the teams inputting data such as race times, course type, the status of each race and the plan moving forward. The competition status screen will be available when racing commences via – http://www.sailing.org/paralympics/rio2016/multimedia/live-tracking.php#.V9G2ulfwykg

LIVE BLOGGING
The World Sailing media team will be following the racing LIVE on World Sailing’s Paralympic Blog throughout Rio 2016. Follow LIVE here – http://www.sailing.org/paralympics/rio2016/multimedia/live-blog.php#.V9G2j1fwykg

PRESS RELEASES
World Sailing will be releasing international press releases after racing throughout the duration of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. All the latest news and reports will be available to read here – http://www.sailing.org/paralympics/rio2016/news/index.php

TELEVISION
To find out who your Paralympic broadcaster is, click here – https://www.paralympic.org/watch-rio-2016
 
For a simple guide to sailing the IPC have released a short ‘A to Z’ video which you can find here – https://www.facebook.com/paralympics/videos/10154068921356281/

SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow the event on World Sailing’s social networks:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ISAFWorldSailing
Instagram – https://instagram.com/isafworldsailing/
Twitter – @worldsailing
Snapchat – Follow our Story on Snapchat, search for worldsailing

USEFUL LINKS
World Sailing Paralympic Website – http://www.sailing.org/paralympics/rio2016/home.php
Competition Schedule – http://www.sailing.org/paralympics/rio2016/about/schedule.php
Latest Paralympic Sailing news – http://www.sailing.org/paralympics/rio2016/news/index.php
Online Notice Board – http://www.sailing.org/paralympics/rio2016/onb.php