With just over a year to go until the Rio 2016 Games, the British Sailing Team today announced selected team members for the Olympic Test Event to be held this summer on Guanabara Bay.
The Aquece Rio International Regatta (15-22 August 2015) is the second official Test Event for the sport of sailing, and will see 15 British sailors compete against their international rivals across ten Olympic classes in what is a key dress rehearsal at the 2016 venue.
With just one boat per nation, per class permitted to enter, the regatta replicates Olympic-style racing at the Games venue, and is a crucial opportunity to expand the knowledge and preparation ahead of the main event in 2016.
The selected British team comprises a mix of established Olympians and international medallists as well as new young talents eager for their first opportunity of an Olympic Games.
Representatives in eight out of the ten classes were unveiled today on the final day of the ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland – the fourth stage of the world series – held on the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic waters.
Finn – Giles Scott
RS:X Men – Nick Dempsey
RS:X Women – TBC
470 Men – Luke Patience & Elliot Willis
470 Women – Hannah Mills & Saskia Clark
49er – John Pink & Stuart Bithell
49erFX – Charlotte Dobson & Sophie Ainsworth
Nacra 17 – John Gimson & Hannah Diamond
Laser Radial – Alison Young
Laser – TBC
Selections were based on results at a range of international regattas, with final decisions still to be made in the coming weeks in the Laser and RS:X Women’s events.
Announcing the bulk of the team on Sunday (14 June), RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park remarked that this summer’s event marks an important milestone in the team’s preparations towards Olympic success in one years’ time.
“With just over a year to go to the Rio 2016 Games, the British Sailing Team, like many other teams, is really starting to focus on who the key contenders are likely to be in the hunt for Olympic medals next year,” he said.
“The 2015 Rio Test Event is an important marker in that journey towards the Games. It provides a valuable opportunity to experience quality racing on the Olympic waters, in the Olympic format, and allows the wider team the chance to build their understanding of the key performance factors in what is a challenging venue both on and off the water.
“For the British Sailing Team it’s about building on our collective experiences of the venue so far, but also providing the sailors with the best platform and support possible to allow them to perform at their best and gain confidence that they can deliver results in that challenging environment.
“We’re in a good place as a team but there’s no doubt there’s a lot of hard work still to go towards Rio 2016, and our sailors are going to have to keep pushing every single day.”
© Sportsbeat 2015