A common thread running through all olympic sports is that they use the best and most advanced equipment. Can you imagine Tiger Woods or Roger Federer using clubs or racquets from the 1960's or 1970's. We have been criticising the decision to drop multis as a step away from spectacular performance sailing and a move to dreary outdated slugs. Anything other than choosing a modern, fast and challenging boat would be a retrograde step. This is supposed to be the pinnacle of sailing being showcased to the world. I don't buy the argument that it has to be a boat currently sailed in a lot of countries and cheaply available. Buying a boat is a minor part of running an olympic campaign. Travel to major regattas, specialised training, loss of employment, accommodation etc are way more. Can you imagine top tennis players rejecting an advance in racquet technology because there are a lot of the old ones around the world and some countires may not be able to afford the new ones?

I say run a selection shootout and choose the fastest most spectacular boat that can be sailed effectively by the slated crew configuration.