Sailing at the 2016 Summer Olympics

The 2016 Summer Olympics sailing regatta took place from August 8 to 18 at Marina da Gloria in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro. The program featured ten events, with two key changes from the 2012 Games. For the first time in Olympic history, no keelboat events were included—the men’s Star and women’s Elliott 6m were both dropped. A mixed-gender event was introduced for the first time in Olympic sailing, using the Nacra 17 multihull, which returned to the program after the Tornado was absent in 2012. The RS:X, Laser, Laser Radial, Finn, 470, and 49er all remained. A women’s skiff event, the 49erFX, was added, using the same equipment as the men’s 49er but with a slightly reduced sail plan. Kiteboarding was initially approved by the ISAF Council to replace windsurfing, but the decision was overturned by the ISAF General Assembly in November 2012, keeping windsurfing in the Games.

Water pollution in Guanabara Bay was a major concern before the event. Despite a host commitment to clean up the water, the target was not fully met, and drug-resistant super bacteria were found due to untreated sewage and hospital waste. World Sailing considered moving the racing outside the bay or to Buzios, but ultimately only Belgian sailor Evi Van Acker reported her Olympics were affected. German sailor Erik Heil contracted multi-resistant germs during a test event. Just before the Games, the launch ramp collapsed, though no one was injured.

The competition used fleet racing with a low-point scoring system. Each class had a series of preliminary races—12 for the RS:X, 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17, and 10 for the others—followed by a double-points Medal Race for the top ten boats. Each boat could discard one preliminary race, but not the Medal Race. Ties were broken in favor of the higher finish in the Medal Race. Brazil, as host nation, received one quota place in each event. A total of 380 athletes competed, with qualification beginning at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships.