Paralympic Sailing
In Sailing at the Paralympic Games, modifications are made to the equipment in order to suit the athlete’s functional ability.
Key facts
Venue: Weymouth and Portland
Dates: Saturday 1 September –Thursday 6 September
Gold medals up for grabs: 3
Athletes: 80
There are three medal events at the Games, featuring one, two and three sailors per boat.
All three medal events consist of nine separate races, which each take around an hour to complete. The races are usually contested over an out-and-back course that consists of an upwind and downwind leg. Sailors accumulate points according to their positions after each race, with one point for first, two for second and so on. The winner is the sailor or team with the lowest points total at the end of the nine races.
For more information on the history of the sport, visit the IPC website.
Sailing at the Games
Sailing was introduced to the Paralympic Games as a demonstration event at Atlanta in 1996. Four years later, it became a full medal sport at the Sydney 2000 Games.
Get involved
With beginners’ courses around the country for people of all ages and backgrounds, it’s easy to get started in Sailing. Find out more by contacting the Royal Yachting Association or the International Association for Disabled Sailing
Learn more about how to get involved on the Parasport website
See also Paralympic Sport TV and the International Paralympic Committee. The Active Places website also allows you to search for facilities in England.
