kids encyclopedia robot

Sailing at the Summer Olympics facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Sailing at the Summer Olympics
Sailing pictogram.svg
Governing body WS
Events 10 (men: 4; women: 4; mixed: 2)
Games
  • 1896
  • 1900
  • 1904
  • 1908
  • 1912
  • 1920
  • 1924
  • 1928
  • 1932
  • 1936
  • 1948
  • 1952
  • 1956
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1996
  • 2000
  • 2004
  • 2008
  • 2012
  • 2016
  • 2020
  • Medalists

Sailing, also called yachting until the year 2000, has been an Olympic sport since the very first Games in Athens in 1896. However, the sailing races at those first Olympics were canceled because of bad weather. Since then, sailing has been part of almost every Olympic Games, except for the 1904 Summer Olympics.

  • To learn how sailing events are scored at the Olympics, check out: Scoring systems for Sailing at the Summer Olympics.
  • You can find a list of all Olympic sailors here: List of sailors at the Summer Olympics.
  • Information about sailing at specific Summer Olympics or the boats used can be found in the tables below.
  • Gender in Sailing: Until 1988, sailing was an 'open' sport. This meant both male and female sailors competed together. Even in 1900, several women took part in the Olympic sailing races. The only time this changed was after World War II, at the 1948 Olympics, when only male sailors were allowed. In 1988, the first event just for women was added. Sailing was also one of the first sports to have a required mixed-gender event, which started in 2016 with the Mixed Multihull.
  • Race Types: Most Olympic sailing competitions use a format called fleet racing. In some Olympics, they also used match racing, or a mix of both.
  • Boat Types: Over time, many different types of boats have been used in the Olympics. At first, boats were grouped by their weight in tons, then by their length in meters or feet, or by general names. For older boat types that are no longer used in the Olympics, there are special games called the Vintage Yachting Games, which started in 2008.
  • Medal Leaders: Great Britain has won the most medals in Olympic sailing.

Olympic Sailing: A Quick Look

Games Year Events Best Nation
1 1896 - -
2 1900 13  France
3
4 1908 4  Great Britain
5 1912 4  Norway
6
7 1920 14  Norway
8 1924 3  Norway
9 1928 3  Norway
10 1932 4  United States
11 1936 4  Germany
12
13
14 1948 5  United States
15 1952 5  United States
16 1956 5  Sweden
Games Year Events Best Nation
17 1960 5  Denmark
18 1964 5  United Team of Germany
19 1968 5  United States
20 1972 6  Australia
21 1976 6  West Germany
22 1980 6  Brazil
23 1984 7  United States
24 1988 8  France
25 1992 10  Spain
26 1996 10  Brazil
27 2000 11  Great Britain
28 2004 11  Great Britain
29 2008 11  Great Britain
30 2012 10  Australia
31 2016 10  Great Britain
32 2020 10  Great Britain

Note: The sailing Competitions were canceled at the 1896 Olympics.

A Brief History of Olympic Sailing

Olympics Competitor medal
A medal given to Irish sailor Eddie Kelliher at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games.
  • 1896: Sailing races were planned for March 31, 1896, in Athens. But there were no boats from Greece, and no one from other countries signed up. So, the event was canceled.
  • 1900: The 1900 Sailing events took place in two different spots. One was in Meulan, on the Seine river, from May 20 to May 27. The other was in Le Havre, on the English Channel, from August 1 to August 5. In Meulan, six types of boats were used. About 55 boats and nearly 150 sailors competed. This included Hélène de Pourtalès, the first woman to win a gold medal in sailing. In Le Havre, two types of boats were used for offshore races. About 10 boats competed.
  • 1904: Sailing was not included in the Olympic program this year.
  • 1908: The sailing races were supposed to be held in Ryde at the Isle of Wight. But only two British teams signed up for the 12 Metre races, and their boats were in Scotland. So, Hunters Quay was chosen as a second location. In 1907, a new rule called the International Rule was created to make sure boats were more evenly matched. The Olympics decided to use these new rules for the 6, 7, 8, and 12 Metre classes.
  • 1912: When Sweden hosted the 1912 Olympics, both Gothenburg and Stockholm wanted to host the sailing events. Stockholm won because all Olympic events were meant to be close together. Nynäshamn, about 60 km (37 mi) from Stockholm, was chosen. The International Rule classes (6, 8, 10, and 12 Metre) were used again.
  • 1920: Antwerp hosted the 1920 Olympics, and Ostend was chosen for sailing. Ostend is known for good sailing conditions on the North Sea. The wind conditions are usually good, and the currents are easy to predict. However, in 1920, there wasn't much wind, so most races were sailed in light air. Sixteen different boat types were allowed, but two types didn't have any teams show up.
  • 1924: After so many boat types in 1920, only three were chosen for the 1924 Olympics. One was a "one design" class, meaning all boats were exactly the same. The other two were International Metre type boats. Races were held in two places: Meulan for the French National Monotype class, and Le Havre for the 6 and 8 Metre classes. The wind conditions in Meulan were not great, with light breezes. In Le Havre, the courses mostly involved sailing with the wind, not against it. This was also the first Olympics where each country could only send one team per boat type.
  • 1928: Like in 1924, only three boat types were chosen: the 12' Dinghy (which was also used in 1920) and the 6 and 8 Metre classes. This Olympic sailing event is seen as the first with truly high-quality racing. The boat types were well-chosen, there were enough competitors, and the sailing conditions were fair.

Olympic Boat Classes and Events

The types of boats used in Olympic sailing have changed over the years. This table shows how they have developed:

Class Disc Gender 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 Sailed Events
Boats of the Royal Navy Fleet Male (●) 0
0-½ ton Fleet Open x2 2
½-1 ton Fleet Open x2 2
1-2 ton Fleet Open x2 2
2-3 ton Fleet Open x2 2
3-10 ton Fleet Open x2 2
10-20 ton Fleet Open ● 1
20+ ton Fleet Open ● 1
Open class Fleet Open ● 1
6 Metre (1907 Rule) Fleet Open ● ● ● 10
6 Metre (1919 Rule) Fleet Open ● ● ● ●
6 Metre (1933 Rule) Fleet Open ● (●) ●
6 Metre (1933 Rule) Fleet Male ●
6.5 Metre Fleet Open ● 1
7 Metre Fleet Open ● ● 2
8 Metre (1907 Rule) Fleet Open ● ● ● 8
8 Metre (1919 Rule) Fleet Open ● ● ● ●
8 Metre (1933 Rule) Fleet Open ●
8.5 Metre Fleet Open (●) 0
9 Metre Fleet Open (●) 0
10 Metre (1907 Rule) Fleet Open ● ● 3
10 Metre (1919 Rule) Fleet Open ●
12 Metre (1907 Rule) Fleet Open ● ● ● 4
12 Metre (1919 Rule) Fleet Open ●
15 Metre (1907 Rule) Fleet Open (●) 0
12 foot dinghy Fleet Open ● ● (●) 2
18 foot dinghy Fleet Open ● 1
30m2 class Fleet Open ● 1
40m2 class Fleet Open ● 1
French National Monotype 1924 Fleet Open ● 1
Snowbird Fleet Open ● 1
Star Fleet Open ● ● (●) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 18
Fleet Male ● ● ● ●
O-Jolle Fleet Open ● 1
Dragon Fleet Open ● ● ● ● ● ● 7
Fleet Male ●
Swallow Fleet Male ● 1
Firefly Fleet Male ● 1
Finn Fleet Open ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 18
Fleet Male ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
5,5 Metre Fleet Open ● ● ● ● ● 5
Sharpie 12m2 Fleet Open ● 1
Flying Dutchman Fleet Open ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 9
Soling Fleet Open ● ● ● ● ● 8
Fleet/
Match		 Open ● ● ●
Tempest Fleet Open ● ● 2
Tornado Fleet Open ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 9
470 Fleet Open ● ● ● 22
Fleet Male ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Fleet Female ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Fleet Mixed ●
Windglider Fleet Open ● 1
Division II Fleet Open ● 1
Lechner Fleet Male ● 2
Fleet Female ●
Europe Fleet Female ● ● ● ● 4
Mistral Fleet Open ● ● ● 6
Fleet Female ● ● ●
ILCA 7 (Laser) Fleet Open ● ● ● 8
Fleet Male ● ● ● ● ●
ILCA 6 (Laser Radial) Fleet Female ● ● ● ● ● 5
49er Fleet Open ● ● 7
Fleet Male ● ● ● ● ●
49er FX Fleet Female ● ● ● 3
Yngling Fleet Female ● ● 2
RS:X Fleet Male ● ● ● ● 8
Fleet Female ● ● ● ●
Elliott 6m Match Female ● 1
Nacra 17 Fleet Mixed ● ● ● 3
iQFoil Fleet Male ● 2
Fleet Female ●
Formula Kite Fleet Male ● 2
Fleet Female ●
total (1) 13 0 4
(5)		 4 14
(16)		 3 3 4 4 (3) 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 8 10 10 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 205
Class 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 Sailed Events

Gender Criteria: Open events have no gender requirements where as mixed events require male and female competitors
Events Notes: Events in "()" Brackets were scheduled but did not take place and therefore not included in the totals

Types of Boats Used in Olympic Sailing

Boat type 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 Sailed Events
Dinghy / Centreboard ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 26
Skiff (dinghy type) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 5
Keelboats ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 21
Yachts / Sail cruisers ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 11
Multihull (dinghy-sized) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 10
Sailboard (windsurfing) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 11
Kiteboard (kitesurfing) ● 1
One-Design / Monotype ? ● ? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 24
Construction class
Development class		 ? ? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 14

Types of Races in Olympic Sailing

Race type 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 68 72 76 80 84 88 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20 24 Editions
Fleet ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 30
Match ●W 1
Combined FRQ+MR ● ● ● 3
Relay 0

Olympic Sailing Locations

Main article: List of Olympic venues in sailing
Edition Year Host City Sailing venue Opening Closing View Classes
I 1896  Greece (GRE) Athens Piraeus 1-APR 1-APR 3D View of Athens.jpg Cancelled
II 1900  France (FRA) Paris Meulan 20-MAY 27-MAY All, except ...
Le Havre 1-AUG 5-AUG 10–20 ton
III 1904  United States (USA) St. Louis Not programmed
IV 1908  Great Britain (GBR) London Ryde 27-JUL 29-JUL 6 Metre
7 Metre
8 Metre
Hunter's Quay 11-AUG 12-AUG 12 Metre
V 1912  Sweden (SWE) Stockholm Nynäshamn 19-JUL 22-JUL Nynäshamn view.jpg All
VI 1916  Germany (GER) Berlin Probably not programmed
VII 1920  Belgium (BEL) Antwerp Ostend 7-JUL 10-JUL MnpOstendLocation.png All, except...
The Netherlands SEP SEP Buiten Y 2010.jpg Finals 12 foot dinghy
VIII 1924  France (FRA) Paris Meulan 10-JUL 13-JUL French National Monotype 1924
Le Havre 21-JUL 26-JUL 6 Metre
8 Metre
IX 1928  Netherlands (NED) Amsterdam Durgerdam 2-AUG 9-AUG Buiten Y 2010.jpg All
X 1932  United States (USA) Los Angeles Port of Los Angeles 5-AUG 12-AUG All
XI 1936  Germany (GER) Berlin Kiel 4-AUG 16-AUG All
XII 1940  Japan (JPN) Tokyo Yokohama harbour 21-SEP 6-OCT NauticalChart Yokohama 1874.jpg All
Cancelled
 Finland (FIN) Helsinki Program not made Cancelled
XIII 1944 Olympics suspended
XIV 1948  Great Britain (GBR) London Torquay 4-AUG 12-AUG All
XV 1952  Finland (FIN) Helsinki Harmaja 20-JUL 28-JUL All
XVI 1956  Australia (AUS) Melbourne Port Phillip Bay 26-NOV 5-DEC All
XVII 1960  Italy (ITA) Rome Naples 29-AUG 7-SEP All
XVIII 1964  Japan (JPN) Tokyo Enoshima 12-OCT 23-OCT Ehoshima-Island-Fujisawa-Japan.jpg All
XIX 1968  Mexico (MEX) Mexico City Acapulco 13-OCT 25-OCT JLNYCAcapulcoBay.jpg All
XX 1972  West Germany (FRG) Munich Kiel 29-AUG 8-SEP Kiel - Olympiazentrum S.JPG All
XXI 1976  Canada (CAN) Montreal Kingston, Ontario 18-JUL 31-JUL All
XXII 1980  Soviet Union (URS) Moscow Tallinn, Soviet-occupied Estonia 21-JUL 29-JUL Tallinn, June 18, 2006.jpg All
XXIII 1984  United States (USA) Los Angeles Long Beach, California 31-JUL 8-AUG Aerial view of Port of Long Beach.jpg All
XXIV 1988  South Korea (KOR) Seoul Busan 20-SEP 27-SEP Busan SPOT 1121.jpg All
XXV 1992  Spain (ESP) Barcelona Barcelona 27-JUL 4-AUG PortVell.JPG All
XXVI 1996  United States (USA) Atlanta Savannah, Georgia 22-JUL 2-AUG Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge.jpg All
XXVII 2000  Australia (AUS) Sydney Sydney 17-SEP 30-SEP Sydney ASTER 2001 oct 12.jpg All
XXVIII 2004  Greece (GRE) Athens Athens 14-AUG 28-AUG Athene-sat.JPG All
XXIX 2008  China (CHN) Beijing Qingdao 9-AUG 21-AUG Qingdao Pier.jpg All
XXX 2012  Great Britain (GBR) London Weymouth and Portland 28-JUL 11-AUG Dorset transport.png All
XXXI 2016  Brazil (BRA) Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro 8-AUG 18-AUG Marina da Glória 1.jpg All
XXXII 2020  Japan (JPN) Tokyo Enoshima 25-July 2021 4-AUG 2021 All

Olympic Sailing Medal Count by Nation

This table shows the total Olympic medals won by each country up to 2020.

See also: List of Olympic medalists in sailing
Overall Medal Total by Nation
Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Great Britain (GBR) 31 21 12 64
2  United States (USA) 19 23 19 61
3  Norway (NOR) 17 11 4 32
4  France (FRA) 15 14 20 49
5  Denmark (DEN) 13 9 9 31
6  Australia (AUS) 13 8 8 29
7  Spain (ESP) 13 5 3 21
8  Sweden (SWE) 10 14 13 37
9  New Zealand (NZL) 9 8 6 23
10  Netherlands (NED) 8 9 9 26
11  Brazil (BRA) 8 3 8 19
12  Soviet Union (URS) 4 5 3 12
13  Italy (ITA) 4 3 8 15
14  Germany (GER) 3 5 7 15
15  Austria (AUT) 3 4 1 8
16  China (CHN) 3 3 2 8
17  Greece (GRE) 3 2 3 8
18  Belgium (BEL) 2 4 3 9
19  Finland (FIN) 2 2 7 11
20  West Germany (FRG) 2 2 3 7
21  East Germany (GDR) 2 2 2 6
22  Mixed team (ZZX) 2 0 0 2
23  Argentina (ARG) 1 4 5 10
24  Ukraine (UKR) 1 2 2 5
25  Switzerland (SUI) 1 2 1 4
26  Croatia (CRO) 1 2 0 3
27  Poland (POL) 1 1 3 5
28  United Team of Germany (EUA) 1 1 1 3
29  Israel (ISR) 1 0 2 3
30  Bahamas (BAH) 1 0 1 2
31  Hong Kong (HKG) 1 0 0 1
32  Canada (CAN) 0 3 6 9
33  Portugal (POR) 0 2 2 4
34  Slovenia (SLO) 0 2 1 3
35  Ireland (IRL) 0 2 0 2
36  Hungary (HUN) 0 1 1 2
 Japan (JPN) 0 1 1 2
 Russia (RUS) 0 1 1 2
39  Cuba (CUB) 0 1 0 1
 Cyprus (CYP) 0 1 0 1
 Czech Republic (CZE) 0 1 0 1
 Lithuania (LTU) 0 1 0 1
 Netherlands Antilles (AHO) 0 1 0 1
 Virgin Islands (ISV) 0 1 0 1
Totals (44 entries) 195 187 177 559

Top Olympic Sailors: Multiple Gold Medalists

Torben Grael and Robert Scheidt from Brazil, and Ben Ainslie from Great Britain, are the only Olympic sailors to win five Olympic medals. The most successful sailor is Ben Ainslie, with four gold medals and one silver. He is one of only four athletes to win four gold medals in a row in individual events, just like Danish sailor Paul Elvstrøm.

Position Sailor Country Period Gold Silver Bronze Total Classes
1 Ben Ainslie  Great Britain (GBR) 1996–2012 4 1 0 5 ILCA 7 (Laser)/Finn
2 Paul Elvstrøm  Denmark (DEN) 1948–1960 4 0 0 4 Firefly/Finn
3 Jochen Schümann  Germany (GER) 1976–2000 3 1 0 4 Finn/Soling
Valentin Mankin  Soviet Union (URS) 1968–1980 3 1 0 4 Finn/Tempest/Star
5 Robert Scheidt  Brazil (BRA) 1996–2012 2 2 1 5 ILCA 7 (Laser)/Star
6 Torben Grael  Brazil (BRA) 1984–2004 2 1 2 5 Soling/Star
7 Hannah Mills  Great Britain (GBR) 2012–2020 2 1 0 3 470
Iain Percy  Great Britain (GBR) 2000–2012 2 1 0 3 Finn/Star
Magnus Konow  Norway (NOR) 1912–1936 2 1 0 3 12 Metre/8 Metre/6 Metre
Mark Reynolds  United States (USA) 1988–2000 2 1 0 3 Star
Mathew Belcher  Australia (AUS) 2012–2020 2 1 0 3 470
Rodney Pattisson  Great Britain (GBR) 1968–1976 2 1 0 3 Flying Dutchman
13 Tore Holm  Sweden (SWE) 1920–1948 2 0 2 4 40m2 class/8 Metre/6 Metre
14 Marcelo Ferreira  Brazil (BRA) 1996–2004 2 0 1 3
15 Algernon Maudslay  Great Britain (GBR) 1900 2 0 0 2
Bernd Jäkel  Germany (GER) 2 0 0 2
Dorian van Rijsselberghe  Netherlands (NED) 2012–2016 2 0 0 2
Erik Hansen  Denmark (DEN) 1976–1980 2 0 0 2 Soling
Frédéric Blanchy  Mixed team (ZZX)
 France (FRA)		 1900 2 0 0 2
John Gretton  Great Britain (GBR) 1900 2 0 0 2
Giles Scott  Great Britain (GBR) 2016–2020 2 0 0 2 Finn
Håkon Barfod  Norway (NOR) 2 0 0 2
Herman Whiton  United States (USA) 1948–1952 2 0 0 2
Jacques Le Lavasseur  Mixed team (ZZX)
 France (FRA)		 1900 2 0 0 2
Kahena Kunze  Brazil (BRA) 2016–2020 2 0 0 2 49er FX
Linton Hope  Great Britain (GBR) 1900 2 0 0 2
Luis Doreste Blanco  Spain (ESP) 2 0 0 2
Malcolm Page  Australia (AUS) 2008–2012 2 0 0 2 470
Martine Grael  Brazil (BRA) 2016–2020 2 0 0 2 49er FX
Nicolas Hénard  France (FRA) 2 0 0 2
Poul Richard Høj Jensen  Denmark (DEN) 2 0 0 2
Roman Hagara  Austria (AUT) 2 0 0 2
Sarah Ayton  Great Britain (GBR) 2004–2008 2 0 0 2 Yngling
Sarah Webb  Great Britain (GBR) 2004–2008 2 0 0 2 Yngling
Shirley Robertson  Great Britain (GBR) 1992–2004 2 0 0 2 Europe/Yngling
Sigve Lie  Norway (NOR) 1948–1952 2 0 0 2 Dragon
Theresa Zabell  Spain (ESP) 1992–1996 2 0 0 2
Thor Thorvaldsen  Norway (NOR) 1992–1996 2 0 0 2
William Exshaw  Mixed team (ZZX)
 Great Britain (GBR)		 1900 2 0 0 2
Valdemar Bandolowski  Denmark (DEN) 1976–1980 2 0 0 2

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Vela en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Sailing at the Summer Olympics Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.