World Sailing and the sailors fully committed to Tokyo 2020

World Sailing is fully committed to the successful delivery of the sailing competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and is continuing its preparations with full confidence and in close collaboration with the IOC and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee.

Tokyo will welcome 350 sailors from an expected 60 nations who will race across the ten Olympic sailing events on Sagami Bay in Enoshima, Japan. Following the postponement of the Games in 2020, the sailors have maintained focus and as the clock ticks down, they are continuing their preparations with training camps and competitions.
 
Recent events such as the Lanzarote Olympic Winter Regatta in Spain, Sail Sydney in Australia, the West Marine US Open Sailing Series in the USA and a variety of national regattas have enabled Tokyo 2020 Olympians to remain sharp ahead of the Games.
 
Andrew Lewis of Trinidad and Tobago qualified for his third Olympic Games just over one-year ago at the Hempel World Cup Series Event in Miami. After a period of training in the Canary Islands at the end of 2020, Lewis will head back to Europe where he will remain before travelling to Japan.
 
Like all of the sailors preparing, Lewis is in high hopes for Tokyo 2020, “Seeing all the other sports; cricket, American football, basketball, many, many other big sports creating bubbles, creating environments that are safe, whether the vaccine is there or not. It has been proven over and over, since the pandemic started, that it is possible.
 
“I don’t believe that the Olympic Games should be cancelled because of the pandemic. I believe everybody has a right to decide if they want to take part or not with the dates that are set in stone.
 
“I’m really, really confident in the Olympic Games happening this year, with all the statements that the Japanese have made, the Japanese Prime Minister himself, Thomas Bach himself.
 
“I am in full support of the Olympic Games happening and I know that the International Olympic Committee and the country of Japan have the ability to shine and showcase to the world a light at the end of the tunnel.”
 
“I think the word of the moment is adaptability,” commented French 470 sailor, Jeremie Mion, 2018 World Champion and Rio 2016 Olympian. “Our plan can change day to day in this current period but it’s hard for everybody and it’s important to continue working day by day, thinking about the present and finding some goals to achieve with our team.
 
“Everybody is doing their best for Tokyo 2020. I am an optimist by nature, and we are confident for the future with the best ahead of us. We need to stay strong and be patient. Sport is magic and we can see how important it is in this period. So, let’s be happy that sailing is our sport, our job and our passion and let’s train to be able to do something good in Tokyo this summer. I can’t wait to compete again.”
 
The International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee have taken proactive steps to produce a series of Playbooks for International Federations, Press, Media, Athletes and Officials. These were released early February and available here – https://www.olympic.org/tokyo-2020-playbooks.
 
World Sailing and all of the Summer Olympic International Federations have participated in a series of meetings and discussions with IOC President Thomas Bach, the IOC Sports Department and Tokyo 2020.
 
President Bach reiterated the IOC and Japanese government’s commitment to the Games and outlined the importance to of the Playbook to ensure the Games go ahead in a safe environment for the athletes, officials and spectators.
 
Although it is not obligatory for athletes to take the vaccination, President Bach informed attendees that he strongly urged them to do so.
 
World Sailing President, Quanhai Li, commented, “World Sailing is fully committed to working with the IOC, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Japanese authorities to ensure a safe and successful Olympic Games.
 
“We thank IOC President Thomas Bach, the IOC Sports Department and our friends from Tokyo 2020 for their ongoing efforts in organising the Games. There is still much work to be done but we have every confidence in our team, the IOC and Tokyo 2020 to provide a memorable sporting spectacle.”
 
David Graham, Chief Executive Officer, added, “President Bach and the IOC Sports Department have been very forthcoming in the sharing of information and updating all of the International Federations on the progress of the Games.
 
“To some, it may seem unfathomable for Japan to host 11,000 athletes from 206 nations alongside support personnel and officials, but we share the confidence of our colleagues in the IOC and Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee.
 
“The appropriate measures are being introduced by the IOC and Tokyo 2020 and they have the full support of World Sailing. We look forward to continuing our close collaboration and delivering a successful Games for our sailors.”