sailing at the 2016 Summer Olympics

• The RS:X, Laser, Laser Radial, Finn, 470, and 49er all return for 2016.
• The keelboat discipline has been dropped, meaning that both women's (Elliott 6m) and men's (the Star) are not part of the program. This is the first time the Olympics have not featured a keelboat.
• The multihull discipline has been reintroduced using the Nacra 17 since the Tornado was dropped for London 2012.
• A mixed gender event was introduced for the first time in Olympics Sailing. This follows to some degree the Paralympic sailing competition which in 2008 introduced a two-person keelboat discipline in the Skud 18 with a requirement for at least one of the two person crew to be female. Tennis and Badminton are the other Olympic sports with a mixed discipline.
• Women's skiff discipline has been added using the same equipment as the men's skiff discipline but with a slightly reduced sailplan 49erFX
• Kiteboarding was initially voted by the ISAF Council in May 2012 to replace windsurfing with kitesurfing and reaffirmed that vote on 9 November 2012.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/17980607 'Kiteboarding to replace windsurfing at 2016 Rio Olympics' Article, 7 May 2012 at bbc.co.uk] The move was controversial as former gold medalist and IOC member Barbara Kendall said she would challenge the decision and that "it’s exciting for kiteboarding but tragic for windsurfing. Kiteboarding really is a sport that should be at the X-Games." However, on 10 November 2012, the delegates at the International Sailing Federation’s General Assembly voted to keep windsurfing at the 2016 Olympic Games, overturning the ISAF Council's decision which had already been partially implemented within ISAF Events and Rankings.{{cite web |title=RYA statement on ISAF 2016 events vote |url=http://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/RYAstatementonISAF2016eventsvote.aspx |publisher=RYA |access-date=10 November 2012 |archive-date=30 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930070431/https://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/RYAstatementonISAF2016eventsvote.aspx |url-status=dead }}

Following the announcement of the games, water pollution became a hot topic, and a commitment to cleaning up the water was given by the hosts. This target was not fully achieved and water quality issues were frequently in the media.{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/02/sport/rio-2016-olympic-games-water-quality-sailing-rowing/ |title='Rio 2016 Olympics: Pollution threat muddies waters as Games draw near' |date=2 August 2016 |publisher=cnn.com}} World Sailing examined various options including holding the racing fully outside the bay or even moving the event to Buzios.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jan/26/world-sailing-polluted-olympic-venue-guanabara-bay-peter-sowrey |date=26 January 2016 |title=Ex-World Sailing chief 'voted out for trying to oust polluted Olympic venue' |publisher=theguardian.com}} However, in the end only the Belgian sailor Evi Van Acker reported that her Olympics were affected.{{cite web |url=http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/sports/1.2736623 |title='Evi Van Acker: how a dream may become a nightmare' |date=11 August 2016 |publisher=deredactie.be.}} The German sailor Erik Heil was also infected by multi-resistant germs during an Olympic test event in Rio.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/aug/28/german-sailor-erik-heil-infections-polluted-water-rio-2016-olympics |title=German sailor blames infections on water at Rio 2016 Olympic test event |work=The Guardian |date=2015-08-28 |accessdate=2016-01-03}} The location for sailing events was a source of concern for athletes since scientists had found drug-resistant super bacteria in Guanabara Bay due to the daily dumping of hospital waste and household raw sewage into the rivers and ocean. The Brazilian federal government's Oswaldo Cruz Foundation lab also found the genes of super bacteria in a river that empties into Guanabara Bay.{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-rio-superbacteria-exclusive-idUSKCN0YW2E8 |title=Exclusive: Studies find 'super bacteria' in Rio's Olympic venues, top beaches |date=11 June 2016 |quote=The findings from two unpublished academic studies seen by Reuters concern Rio's most popular spots for tourists and greatly increase the areas known to be infected by the microbes normally found only in hospitals. |publisher=Reuters}}{{cite web |url=https://www.foxnews.com/health/scientists-reportedly-find-super-bacteria-in-several-rio-olympic-venues |title=Scientists reportedly find super bacteria in several Rio Olympic venues |date=11 June 2016 |publisher=Fox News |quote=A 2014 study had already shown the presence of super bacteria off one of the beaches in Guanabara Bay, where sailing and wind-surfing events are going to be held. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already declared super bacteria an urgent public health crisis.}}

Just before the games the launch ramp collapsed but no one was injured.[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/rio-2016-olympic-sailing-ramp-collapses-athletes-village-chief-fired-unsafe-fire-a7165951.html 'Rio 2016: Olympic sailing ramp collapses...' Article, 1 August 2016, at independent.co.uk]

===Qualification===

{{details|Sailing at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification}}

A total of 380 athletes competed in the sailing competitions of the Games. The qualification period began at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships in September 2014. As hosts, Brazil was guaranteed one quota place in each of the ten events.[http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/201402Rio2016QualificationSystemFINALSailingEN-%5B16399%5D.pdf Qualification summary] February 2014.

Racing at the 2016 Olympics was fleet racing where all competitors started and sailed the course together. They were scored according to the low-point system, where first place is scored 1, second place is scored 2, etc. There was a series of preliminary races followed by the final Medal Race. The RS:X, 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 classes had 12 preliminary races, other classes have 10.

At the end of the preliminary races, the top ten boats in each class (i.e. those with the lowest total scores) advanced to the Medal Race. Each boat might exclude one race from their total. The Medal Race could not be excluded from the series score and counts double. The boat with the lowest overall total after all races was the winner.[http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/sailing-101-competition-format Competition format for Rio Olympics, 31 March 2016, at nbcolympics.com] Any ties in the final rankings were broken in favour of the competitor/crew finishing higher in the Medal Race.[http://www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/about/scoring.php Article about scoring at sailing.org/olympics/rio2016]

==Competition schedule==

The competition started on 8 August and finished on 18 August.[http://www.sailing.org/2016-olympic-games.php "Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition" at sailing.org/2016-olympic-games]

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• {{flagIOC|ALG|2016 Summer|3}}
• {{flagIOC|ANG|2016 Summer|3}}
• {{flagIOC|ARG|2016 Summer|13}}
• {{flagIOC|ARU|2016 Summer|3}}
• {{flagIOC|AUS|2016 Summer|11}}
• {{flagIOC|AUT|2016 Summer|8}}
• {{flagIOC|BLR|2016 Summer|2}}
• {{flagIOC|BEL|2016 Summer|4}}
• {{flagIOC|BER|2016 Summer|2}}
• {{flagIOC|BRA|2016 Summer|15}}
• {{flagIOC|CAN|2016 Summer|9}}
• {{flagIOC|CAY|2016 Summer|1}}
• {{flagIOC|CHI|2016 Summer|9}}
• {{flagIOC|CHN|2016 Summer|8}}
• {{flagIOC|COL|2016 Summer|1}}
• {{flagIOC|COK|2016 Summer|2}}
• {{flagIOC|CRO|2016 Summer|8}}
• {{flagIOC|CYP|2016 Summer|2}}
• {{flagIOC|CZE|2016 Summer|3}}
• {{flagIOC|DEN|2016 Summer|11}}
• {{flagIOC|EGY|2016 Summer|1}}
• {{flagIOC|ESA|2016 Summer|1}}
• {{flagIOC|EST|2016 Summer|5}}
• {{flagIOC|FIN|2016 Summer|8}}
• {{flagIOC|FRA|2016 Summer|15}}
• {{flagIOC|GER|2016 Summer|12}}
• {{flagIOC|GBR|2016 Summer|15}}
• {{flagIOC|GRE|2016 Summer|7}}
• {{flagIOC|GUA|2016 Summer|1}}
• {{flagIOC|HKG|2016 Summer|2}}
• {{flagIOC|HUN|2016 Summer|5}}
• {{flagIOC|IRL|2016 Summer|6}}
• {{flagIOC|ISR|2016 Summer|6}}
• {{flagIOC|ITA|2016 Summer|13}}
• {{flagIOC|JPN|2016 Summer|11}}
• {{flagIOC|LAT|2016 Summer|1}}
• {{flagIOC|LTU|2016 Summer|2}}
• {{flagIOC|MAS|2016 Summer|2}}
• {{flagIOC|MEX|2016 Summer|3}}
• {{flagIOC|MNE|2016 Summer|1}}
• {{flagIOC|NED|2016 Summer|11}}
• {{flagIOC|NZL|2016 Summer|12}}
• {{flagIOC|NOR|2016 Summer|7}}
• {{flagIOC|PER|2016 Summer|2}}
• {{flagIOC|POL|2016 Summer|7}}
• {{flagIOC|POR|2016 Summer|5}}
• {{flagIOC|RUS|2016 Summer|7}}
• {{flagIOC|LCA|2016 Summer|1}}
• {{flagIOC|SEY|2016 Summer|3}}
• {{flagIOC|SIN|2016 Summer|10}}
• {{flagIOC|SLO|2016 Summer|3}}
• {{flagIOC|RSA|2016 Summer|3}}
• {{flagIOC|KOR|2016 Summer|4}}
• {{flagIOC|ESP|2016 Summer|14}}
• {{flagIOC|SWE|2016 Summer|7}}
• {{flagIOC|SUI|2016 Summer|9}}
• {{flagIOC|TPE|2016 Summer|1}}
• {{flagIOC|THA|2016 Summer|4}}
• {{flagIOC|TTO|2016 Summer|1}}
• {{flagIOC|TUN|2016 Summer|4}}
• {{flagIOC|TUR|2016 Summer|6}}
• {{flagIOC|UKR|2016 Summer|3}}
• {{flagIOC|USA|2016 Summer|15}}
• {{flagIOC|URU|2016 Summer|4}}
• {{flagIOC|VEN|2016 Summer|2}}
• {{flagIOC|ISV|2016 Summer|1}}

{{div col end}}

{{main|Sailing at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification|l1=Qualified sailors}}

;Key

{{Color box|#ccccff| * |border=darkgray}} Host nation (Brazil)

{{Medals table

| caption =

| host =

| flag_template = flagIOC

| event = 2016 Summer

| team =

| gold_GBR = 2 | silver_GBR = 1 | bronze_GBR = 0

| gold_NED = 2 | silver_NED = 0 | bronze_NED = 0

| gold_AUS = 1 | silver_AUS = 3 | bronze_AUS = 0

| gold_NZL = 1 | silver_NZL = 2 | bronze_NZL = 1

| gold_CRO = 1 | silver_CRO = 1 | bronze_CRO = 0

| gold_FRA = 1 | silver_FRA = 0 | bronze_FRA = 2

| gold_ARG = 1 | silver_ARG = 0 | bronze_ARG = 0

| gold_BRA = 1 | silver_BRA = 0 | bronze_BRA = 0 | host_BRA = yes

| gold_CHN = 0 | silver_CHN = 1 | bronze_CHN = 0

| gold_IRL = 0 | silver_IRL = 1 | bronze_IRL = 0

| gold_SLO = 0 | silver_SLO = 1 | bronze_SLO = 0

| gold_DEN = 0 | silver_DEN = 0 | bronze_DEN = 2

| gold_AUT = 0 | silver_AUT = 0 | bronze_AUT = 1

| gold_GER = 0 | silver_GER = 0 | bronze_GER = 1

| gold_GRE = 0 | silver_GRE = 0 | bronze_GRE = 1

| gold_RUS = 0 | silver_RUS = 0 | bronze_RUS = 1

| gold_USA = 0 | silver_USA = 0 | bronze_USA = 1

}}

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Sailing at the 2016 Summer Olympics}}

• {{Cite web |url=http://www.rio2016.com/en/the-games/olympic/sports/sailing |title=The Olympic Games: Sailing (Rio2016.com) |access-date=24 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812051709/http://www.rio2016.com/en/the-games/olympic/sports/sailing |archive-date=12 August 2012 |url-status=bot: unknown |df=dmy-all}}
• {{Cite web |url=https://www.rio2016.com/en/sailing |title=Sailing at the 2016 Summer Olympics (Rio2016.com) |access-date=23 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826074231/https://www.rio2016.com/en/sailing |archive-date=26 August 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |df=dmy-all}}
• {{SR/Olympics sport at games}}
• [http://www.olympic.org/multimedia-player/all-photos/2008/election-cities/imageriomarina/ Rio: Marina da Glória – Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Venue (Olympic.org)]
• [http://www.sailing.org/2016-olympic-games.php ISAF: Official Site: Events: 2016 Rio Olympic Sailing Competition (Sailing.org)]
• [http://esportes.cptec.inpe.br/sailing/en Serviço Meteorológico Esportivo - Weather forecast for sailing (esportes.cptec.inpe.br)]
• [https://library.olympic.org/Default/digitalCollection/DigitalCollectionAttachmentDownloadHandler.ashx?parentDocumentId=165312&documentId=165355 Results Book – Sailing]

{{Events at the 2016 Summer Olympics}}

{{Sailing at the Summer Olympics}}

{{Olympic venues sailing}}

Category:Events at the 2016 Summer Olympics

2016

Sailing at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Category:Sailing competitions in Brazil