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Sailing
Photo by J. Sanchez from Belson, M.
J., & Hoover, J. (2001). Keepers of the Flame, We Media, V(1),
31. |
|
Sailing is an official
sport of the Paralympic Games and the Special Olympics World Games. |
Athlete Eligibility and Classification
Paralympic sailing is offered for athletes with
physical disabilities, as well as those with vision loss. The IPC
follows the classification procedures developed by the International
Foundation of Disabled Sailing (IFDS), which are posted on the IPC web
site at http://www.paralympic.org.
Click on "sports," then "classification," then "sailing."
 | Classifications. There are seven
classifications, with Class 1 representing least sailing ability and
Class 7 the most sailing ability. Sailors are assigned to the
different classes based upon their point scores in the classification
tests. |
| Classification tests for sailors with physical
disabilities are designed to test the athlete's ability to compensate
for the movement of the boat (stability), operate the control lines
and tiller (hand function), move about in the boat (mobility), and see
while racing (vision). Athletes who use prostheses or supportive
devices while sailing must be classified under those conditions.
 | Functional anatomic test - in a room equipped
with an examination table, athletes are judged on strength,
movement, and coordination. |
| Functional dock test - athletes are tested on
tiller, sheeting, cleating, transferring, and hiking tests on a
Sonar boat at dockside. |
| Functional sailing test - athletes are tested
on tiller, sheeting, cleating, transferring, and hiking tests while
sailing in competition. |
|
| Classification for sailors who are blind. B1
athletes are assigned to Class 3 and B2/B3 athletes are assigned to
Class 7. |
Sailors who compete in Special Olympics
competition must have a primary diagnosis of mental retardation.
Athletes must be able to swim and must be seizure-free for a period of
at least one year. Sailors are classified according to a process called
divisioning in which athletes are grouped by ability levels for
competition. In sailing, divisioning is based upon the results of the
first race in a single-day regatta or the results of the first day in a
multi-day regatta. For more information, consult the Special Olympics
sailing rules at
http://www.specialolympics.org. Click on "sports," then choose
"sailing" from the drop-down rules menu.
Events
There are two sailing disciplines in Paralympic
competition, the crew boat discipline with one skipper and two crew
members, and the single-handed discipline. At the 2004 Paralympic Games
in Athens, Sonar boats will be used in the crew division and
International 2.4R boats in the single-handed division.
There are five events offered in Special Olympics
competition:
| Level 1 - A Unified Sports event in which the
Special Olympics athlete performs the crew duty of head sail trimming.
|
| Level 2 - A Unified Sports event in which a
Special Olympics athlete, in addition to the duties outlined in Level
1, has control of the helm for at least 50% of the race. |
| Level 3 - The entire crew consists of Special
Olympics athletes, and there is an on-board coach. |
| Level 4 - The entire crew consists of Special
Olympics athletes, but there is no on-board coach. |
| Level 5 - Special Olympics athletes compete
single-handed. |
Racing Course and
Boats
| Paralympic Games
| Sailing races are conducted on International
Sailing Federation (ISAF) courses. The racing rules, including
course specifications, are posted on the ISAF web site at
http://www.sailing.org.
|
| Boats used in the crew boat discipline
include the American 210, Sonar, Squib, Surprise, or UFO. The boat
used in the single-handed discipline is the International 2.4mR.
|
|
| Special Olympics World Games
| A modified Olympic triangle course is used
Special Olympics sailing competition. The distance from the windward
turning mark to the leeward turning mark may not exceed 2,000m.
Standard courses include SACF, SABCF, SABCACF, and SACACF, where "S"
refers to start, "F" to finish, "A" to windward turning mark, "B" to
jibe turning mark, and "C" to leeward turning mark. |
| Special Olympics teams use dinghy boats, up
to 7m in length. Monohull and catamaran class boats are used at
national and international regattas. |
|
Rules
Paralympic competition is conducted under ISAF and
IFDS rules, and Special Olympics competition is conducted under ISAF
rules with a few modifications. The ISAF racing rules can be accessed at
http://www.sailing.org. The IFDS
rules can be accessed on the IPC web site at
http://www.paralympic.org. Click
on "sports," then "sports," then "sailing," then "rules."
| IFDS modifications to ISAF rules
| Competition consists of a 4-race series with
points awarded for place finish in each race. Points are accumulated
across races, with the low score winning the regatta. |
| Boat modifications may not require
drilling holes or installation of permanent fixtures, raise the
sailor more than 20cm about the existing seat, increase the sailor's
performance beyond that of an able-bodied person, be power assisted,
or be judged unsafe. |
| Boats must be equipped with radios for
boat-to-boat and boat-to-shore communication |
| Athletes must wear personal flotation
devices. |
| Support/rescue boats are required, and at
least one boat must have a SCUBA diver available to assist with
rescues. |
| The technical delegate makes decisions about
the acceptability of wind and water conditions. |
|
| Special Olympics modifications to ISAF rules
| Athletes must wear personal flotation
devices. |
| Sailors in Class 2, 3, and 4 events may elect
to use spinnakers. |
| Motorized support boats are required. |
| A race committee makes decisions about the
acceptability of wind and water conditions. |
|
Equipment
Equipment used in sailing races includes personal
flotation devices, seating systems or strapping for athletes with
physical disabilities, compasses, and other individual-specific
modifications. All equipment must be approved by the classifiers,
technical delegate, and/or race committee prior to use.
Links
Page prepared by Mary Lou Schilling and revised by
Gail Dummer |
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