Skip to main content

News From IODA AGM: Worlds Location Confirmed For 2021 And More

 Calendar Reshuffles Into Later 2021


As we predicted, the sailing world is starting to organize its 2021 calendar but much remains dependent on the Olympics which have been moved to the summer of 2021. IODA concluded its Annual General Meeting (AGM) yesterday via web conference. Let's unpack it:

World Championship Locations Confirmed Via Co-Proposal from ITA and TUR

Country representatives from Italy and Turkey submitted a motion to re-host the 2021 IODA World Championships in Riva Italy, and in Bodrum Turkey for 2022. This officially makes 2020 a gap year and the other continental championships are following suit. As for many events that were slated for this year deposits were given, plans were made and entry fees paid; organizers from across the world are doing their best to still make it happen for the sailors, although many now will not be able to participate in the World Championship as they will be outside eligible age to compete. However, it was great to finally have certainty for the 2021 calendar and slowly but surely things will fall in place to make that great event happen.

South America Resets Country Rotation for SAMs

Argentina put forth a motion to host the 2021 South American Championships which was seconded by delegates from Brazil. Brazil was due to host the 2021 South American Championships in Rio De Janeiro, but citing weather issues in Rio in the past years during the scheduled times and a desire to give Argentina their turn to host the SAMs once again (Argentina has not hosted South American Championship since 2012)  South America has upheld the rotation agreement that the countries with recognized Optimist Organizations have with each other. For us, this was warming to witness as the spirit of cooperation is alive and well in the optimist class. The new dates for this event are Nov 6-13, 2021.

Tanzania Pulls African Championship Bid For 2021

Tanzania confirmed they would no longer be able to host the IODA African Championships, which will now mean bidding will be open to host countries for that event. We really hope that this event can happen in 2021 as Africa is an up and coming area in the Sailing world with many great sailors coming out of programs in Oman and the UAE. 

Korea Selected For 2022 IODA Asians

South Korea was selected as host for the 2022 IODA Asian and Oceanian Championship, which as far as we could research, is the first time the country will play host to an IODA Continental Championship. This is a big honor and we congratulate the Korean delegation. 

Our Take

It seems that slowly and cautiously, IODA is taking steps to put down a calendar for 2021. There are obviously going to be changes in terms of event dates and the coronavirus will still be very much in the forefront of things in 2021, it is looking to be a much more active year for Opti sailing. We expect that there will be at least one more host to pull out from a bid to host an event in 2021 but that remains to be seen. We think it was a good move to put the Worlds in Garda next year as it was a much anticipated event in 2020. Additionally, the confirmation of 2021 Puerto Vallarta North Americans puts the NAMs in reach of all of north america, so it should be a well attended event. 

Thats it for now, see you on the next one!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What Should Be In Your Dock Box/Ditty Bag

 Although the Optimist class is comprised of children, the fact of the matter is that serious racing happens in the Optimist class and that carries with it needs for equipment and replacement parts. Any sailor or coach worth their salt will tell you that you need a ditty bag or tackle box to carry spare parts and tools in order to keep your Opti up or in case of technicals - breakage - out on the race course.  The historical example of a ditty bag, complete with marlinspike So what should you keep in your ditty bag? At the bare minimum, your ditty bag needs to have tools to repair or adjust parts of your boat. A good set of screwdrivers, of medium length, pliers, and a crescent wrench are absolute musts Example contents of a ditty bag. Note the ample variety of tape, tools and spare line Next, you'd want to add a roll of sail tape, the thick kind, to patch up tears or holes that might happen. I cannot stress the importance of dealing with that sooner rather than later, because...

The Roundup Returns: October 2023

 SailGP Upset: USA Climbs To 3rd After Cadíz For those who don't follow SailGP, the Formula 1 of Sailing, Team USA has come in with the sneak and climbed to 3rd overall for Season 4 with a decisive win in Cadiz this past week. Skipper Jimmy Spithill together with flight controller Taylor Canfield (who we interviewed here in 2020) took the team through light wind, non-foiling conditions and surprised everyone with the win.  The U.S. beat both rivals across all metrics - picking up the highest average speed of 32.7 km/h, highest 58% flight time and executing the fewest number of maneuvers - just six. The Americans also sailed the shortest distance - a total of 4.9 km/h versus ROCKWOOL DEN’s 5.7km and Australia’s 6km. Spithill went on to dedicate the win to the team’s flight controller Hans Henken, who was injured during an incident in Taranto. While this was ‘such a massive blow for the team’, the incident gave the team ‘a real amount of purpose’, Spithill said.  “It was a...

A Guide To Your First International Orange Bowl Regatta (Optimist Class)

Never Been To the Orange Bowl Regatta? Read This Guide! In 2020 we covered the International Orange Bowl Youth Regatta in this video, and an accompanying article HERE . If you've never been to the regatta, and are attending for the first time this year we figured we'd put together a helpful guide to The Orange Bowl Regatta and the area with tips on parking, the format, racing and events surrounding the Orange Bowl. So take a seat and let's dive in! A Brief History Of The OBIYR Lester Johnson introduced the idea of a youth regatta on Biscayne Bay in Miami through the established name of the Orange Bowl Regatta in 1978. The purpose of the youth regatta was to organize a youth sporting event during a time when families were looking for a fun pastime during their winter break. The Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta has continued that tradition through today for the last 42 years. The regatta has grown from 450 youth sailors in 2002 to over 600 today. In the past five year...