Sailing at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Sailing at the 2024 Summer Olympics took place from July 28 to August 8 at the Marseille Marina. The total number of sailors dropped from 350 to 330, split evenly between men and women. The event lineup saw several major changes aimed at boosting gender balance and broadening the range of nations able to qualify.

The ten medal events used the following equipment: Men’s single-handed dinghy (ILCA 7), Women’s single-handed dinghy (ILCA 6), Mixed double-handed dinghy (470), Mixed foiling catamaran (Nacra 17), Men’s skiff (49er), Women’s skiff (49erFX), Men’s windsurfer (IQFoil), Women’s windsurfer (IQFoil), Men’s kiteboarding (Formula Kite), and Women’s kiteboarding (Formula Kite).

The choice of events sparked controversy. World Sailing pushed for a mixed offshore race, which France—a leader in short-handed offshore sailing—strongly supported. The IOC, however, had concerns about a multi-day offshore format, something never before tried at the Olympics. When the IOC reviewed the proposed events, World Sailing stood by its original choice, stating it was democratically selected. Eventually, after it became clear the mixed offshore event would not be approved, World Sailing proposed alternatives. Dropping the offshore race allowed kiteboarding to have separate men’s and women’s competitions instead of a combined event.

Weather during the second week was light and variable, making race management tricky. Windsurfing and kitesurfing saw their qualification series significantly shortened. Some races were abandoned mid-course, and in kiteboarding, some were called off even before starting.

Qualification began at the 2023 Sailing World Championships in The Hague, where 107 spots (about 40% of the total quota) went to the top NOCs across the ten events. Seven places were awarded at the 2024 Men’s ILCA 7 and Women’s ILCA 6 World Championships to the highest-finishing NOCs not yet qualified. Each ILCA continental qualifier gave two quota spots, except Asia, which awarded one at the 2023 Asian Games and two at the Asian Olympic qualifier in Thailand. The remaining quotas came from the 2024 Last Chance Regatta in Hyères (39 boats), the World Sailing Emerging Nations Program (two boats per gender in windsurfing and dinghy), and the Tripartite Commission (four spots, two per gender, in the ILCA 7 and ILCA 6).