International Team Racing Fights Back

15th June 2013

#teamracing – At the ISAF Conference last November the Team Racing sub-committee recommended that: no ISAF Team Racing World Championship be held in 2013; that team racing be an event at the Youth World Sailing Championships.

The general tone of the meeting was that 3v3 dinghy team racing was dominated by a few nations, and would not develop outside these countries. The future for the development of team racing was seen to be in the youth classes and small keelboats.

At the recent Wilson Trophy, the 64th edition of West Kirby S.C.'s prestigious event, a group of sailors and umpires, each having some responsibility for developing team racing in their home nation met to discuss the future of team racing. Nations represented were UK, USA, Ireland, Norway, and Australia. Before the meeting contact had also been made with New Zealand and Canada.

The consensus amongst those present was that:

3 boat dinghy team racing was a core activity in the team racing tradition;

there is no conflict of interest between different forms of team racing – 4v4 in Optimists, 3v3 for adolescents and young adults and 2v2 keel-boats for more mature sailors; team racing needs a pinnacle event in all forms of the discipline;

existing well established events could not provide this pinnacle event, largely because they are national championships with limits on international entry; understanding that ISAF may no longer wish to run a World Championships, sailors, umpires and their organisations may wish to organise their own international events;

Finally, it was agreed that the development of international team racing requires the emergence of an international grouping of team racers to promote the interests of the sport and to facilitate the organisation of international events. The working title of this organisation is the International Team Racing Association.

As a a first step a Facebook page has been set up. Friends of team racing can support this initiative by "liking" the page. All those volunteering to contribute actively in the development of international team racing should leave a message giving contact details

Alternatively contact me, I am acting as secretary for the moment:

Gordon Davies

Hon Sec Irish Team Racing Association

[email protected]

Published in Team Racing

Tagged under

Team Racing

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