Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Olympic sailing regattas held off Qingdao on the Yellow Sea.
Sailing at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held from 9 August to 21 August 2008 off the coast of Qingdao, China, at the Qingdao International Sailing Centre on the Yellow Sea. The event featured nine sailing classes and eleven disciplines, with eleven races scheduled for each event except the 49er class, which had sixteen races. Sailing has been an Olympic sport since the 1896 Games in Athens, with the exception of 1904 and the cancelled 1916 Summer Olympics.
Quick Facts
- Event
- Sailing
- Games
- 2008 Summer
- Venues
- Qingdao International Sailing Centre
- Dates
- First race: · 2008 · 08 · 09 / Last race: · 2008 · 08 · 21
- Competitors
- 400 (261 male, 139 female)
- Teams
- 272
- Team Descriptor
- Boats
- Nations
- 62
- Prev
- 2004
- Next
- 2012
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The sailing events of the 2008 Summer Olympics were staged at the Qingdao International Sailing Centre, constructed specifically for this purpose. According to IOC statutes, Olympic contests must be held in or near the chosen city, but an exception is made for yachting, which customarily must be staged on the open sea. Thus, Qingdao was selected to host the regattas. Five race areas were set on the Yellow Sea, with location points marking the center of a 0.6 nautical mile radius circle for course areas A and B, and a 0.75 nautical mile radius circle for course areas C, D, and E. The sailing was done on four different types of courses.
Reader's Guide
The 2008 Olympic sailing competition was notable for its venue selection, which followed the IOC principle that yachting events must be held on the open sea, leading to Qingdao's selection. The program included nine sailing classes and eleven disciplines, with a total of eleven races per event except for the 49er class, which had sixteen races. Of these, ten or fifteen were opening races, and one was a medal race. The event drew participants from all six inhabited continents: Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America. The regattas took place over thirteen days, from 9 August to 21 August 2008. The construction of the Qingdao International Sailing Centre was a key part of the preparations. The competition's structure, with multiple course areas and race types, reflected the complexity of Olympic sailing. The event's legacy includes its contribution to the development of sailing infrastructure in China and its place in the long history of sailing at the Olympics, which began in 1896.
Did You Know?
- The 2008 sailing events were held off the coast of Qingdao at the Qingdao International Sailing Centre on the Yellow Sea.
- Five race areas were set on the Yellow Sea, with course areas A and B having a 0.6 nm radius circle and areas C, D, and E a 0.75 nm radius circle.
- The 49er class had 16 races scheduled, while all other events had 11 races.
More in Sailing at the Summer Olympics 1-24
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