I've only seen one Chinese team competing in the past few months. They might be light, but they're not midgets or children. I feel that it would be unlikely that China would waste their time equipping & prepping this team only to send a different one.

I understand the issue presented by having the Olympics in Qingdao, but this proposed rule applies to more than that one event. What about "ISAF Grade W, C1 (Europe), World Cup... ...and ISAF Olympic Qualification events". There are very few Tornado events in North America... now I can't even attend my own US trials? I can't go to Worlds? Correct me if I'm wrong, but this rule change is more than temporary... right?

There are so many people on this forum discussing the fate of the Tornado class and it's possible weight limit who have never even sailed the boat, let alone competed within the class. I mean, I'm not saying my opinion is any better, I'm a novice to the class... but I do think that many of us who are participating in this discussion have no concept of the level of competition that the Tornado fleet is at. Nor do we have any real gauge as to what trouble the weight problem has posed in the past, or how this proposed rule change will affect the future of the class.