Remember... these classes will loose their ability to host worlds. (The ISAF takes over) So... for the rank and file to worlds level...The answer to your question is NO!... Olympics is just a special circumstance. The number of mixed teams will depend on the number of Olympic slots and the RULES for how slots are awarded world wide. At best you might have three teams in a country competing for one slot per country.

For example, How many US Tornado teams were there in the USA over the last 12 years.... There was no fleet racing outside of the Miami OCR's, the pre regatta and one other event... called nationals. There is very little Tornado Fleet racing after the boat was eliminated from the games.



Actually, I think it does... the Olympics are about young athletes.... 50 year old men and women wiggling the stick playing a tactical chess game that is difficult to video doesn't cut it.

If the Olympic Ideal is ultimate athlete performance and single/double handed dinghies will have a narrow weight range ... having a couple of options makes a lot of sense.

We have this romantic notion that sailors work their way up their fleet's national ladder and then graduate to the Olympic level... The reality is that athletes commit the time and money to the Olympics and then get the training and coaching and class that suits them. having a niche for all sizes of sailors makes sense... your 230 lb sailor better like a Finn... No Nacra 20 for you!

Dinghy sailors can move over to keel boats when they retire their athlete cards! We also have plenty of high profile Keel boat events world wide.... I think Olympic sailing should focus on dinghies and once every 4 years the public will pay a bit of attention when wrapped up in your countries flag.



The IOC wants gender balance in opportunity when it's appropriate. They view the history of OPEN events in most sports as a failure. It is a flim flam because it never gets close to 50 50. In sailing, the equipment choices for multihulls has made open tilt almost completely to men.

Since men will have greater upper body mass and this is a huge factor in righting moment (especially in dinghys). The argument is... that no matter what equipment you choose.. Men will have an advantage and the field will never = 50 50.

I am not sure this model is definitive in multihulls though.
....If you make multi's Open this would be the debate at a trials. I have never heard of an analysis of the top multi teams where height and mass distribution of the teams was viewed as a critical factor in victory. (unlike in dinghies) So, total mass is important and the Olympics quickly finds the boats optimum weight plus or minus a 20 lb range. An equipment choice could be found that makes open ... close to 50 50 where mass distribution and strength should be equalized. The stated and hidden objectives for the multi trials will be critical.

The real issue for multihull gender participation is just how few women get into the sport as helm's. We don't have a feeder program and it kills us. Final Point. Years ago, they interviewed Olympic women sailors and it turns out a HUGE factor is managing the boat on the beach. Humping a 400 lb 20 foot boat up the ramp for two women is just hard. 470's and 29ners are about as much weight as you could manage.
The only multihull that women teams can manage on the beach is the Hobie 16 and that gives us the sailing scene we have world wide today. (Very few women drivers in multihulls world wide)

Lets hope for OPEN multihulls and then worry about equipment.