Taking baby steps toward Olympic circuit

After previous unsuccessful attempts by World Sailing to create an Olympic circuit of events, prominent events on the Olympic class calendar saw the value of the idea and launched the Sailing Grand Slam (SGS). As athletes and teams gear themselves up for the next Olympic cycle, the dates are now in place for five events in 2025.

The plan, which seeks to improve administration and sponsorship for athletes and organizers, was revealed at the first event in Palma, Mallorca. Representatives of the five different regattas came together to work towards greater integration between the events.

“There are many things we are working on to create an international circuit for the Olympic sailors, and this year we are focused on creating a cleaner race entry system,” explained local organizer Ferrán Muniesa.

“For example, once the sailors have registered themselves for one event – such us in Palma – much of the work will be completed for the rest of the season. Equipment inspection will be hassle free as the Palma measurement stickers continue to be valid across the SGS season.”

The next event is French Olympic Week in Hyères in the south of France, with event commissioner Ed Russo explaining what the athletes can expected: “Traditionally every regatta has been a standalone event with different Sailing Instructions, different Notice of Race, and so on. We are working to create a standardized set of documents that will become familiar to the sailors and coaches, leaving them to focus on what they’re really here to do, the competition on the water.”

After France, the season shifts to German for Kiel Week, with head organizer Dirk Ramhorst notes how there had been a lack of continuity in past seasons. “we’re taking the first steps towards creating more cohesion. This means we can develop a ranking system for the sailors, and we can start to tell the story of these athletes and really help the public get to know and enjoy the sport in a much more meaningful way.”

With Los Angeles 2028 as the ultimate focus for this Olympic cycle, the fourth event is the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta in July. Event organizer Fred Hagedorn flew from the USA to join the SGS meeting in Palma.

“As a group of events, we’re investing into social media,” explained Hagedorn. “We’re working on story lines for each event and then story lines that go through all five events, so that the athletes can start to see the value of it.

“Over time, they will start to see the uptick in their social media numbers, and they start to see the uptick in people’s interest overall in what’s going on, because these stories are being generated and have a continuity that goes from event to event to event.”

Communications director Simon Keijzer for the final event in Holland notes how the increase in visibility of the sailors should ultimately lead to more commercial value.

“We need to get the community following the athletes, because that’s when the value will increase,” said Keijzer. “Currently there are less than five sailors in the Olympic circuit with more than 200,000 followers in social media. We need to change this to at least 40 or 50 sailors with this kind of following. More followers will lead to more sponsors and increase their professional standing in the market.”

For the time being, Muniesa admits the sailors won’t notice much change to their lives as the new circuit takes its first baby steps. But over time, the SGS is working to bring significant change and improvement to the professional careers of Olympic sailors.

Left to right: Dirk Ramhorst, Simon Keijzer, Fred Hagedorn, Ferran Muniesa, and Ed Russo. © Julia Castro

The Sailing Grand Slam consists of the four most iconic Olympic sailing events in Europe as well as a new regatta to be held in the host city of Los Angeles 2028:

• Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca (Mallorca, Spain): March 28-April 5
• Semaine Olympique Française (Hyères, France): April 19-26
• Kieler Woche (Kiel, Germany): June 21-29
• Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta (Long Beach, USA): July 12-20
• Dutch Water Week (Almere, The Netherlands): September 17-21

Details: https://www.sailinggrandslam.com/

Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Sailing Program:
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Mixed Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Men’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Women’s Kiteboard – Formula Kite Class
Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Venue: Los Angeles or Long Beach, CA
Dates: July 21-August 6