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Paralympic Sailing London 2012 Games

A total of 80 athletes will be sailing for gold in the waters of Weymouth Bay at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Key facts

Venue: Weymouth and Portland, Dorset
Dates: Saturday 1 September –Thursday 6 September 2012
Medal events: 3
Athletes: 80

Sailing for athletes with a disability began to develop as a competitive sport in the 1980s, just over 10 years before it joined the Paralympic programme. Mastery over ever-changing conditions on open water requires skill, tactics and nerve, all of which will be essential for competitors in the Paralympic Sailing events at London 2012.

Did you know?

The yachts used in Paralympic Sailing have keels, mainly because the design provides greater stability. These keelboats also have open cockpits to allow more room for the sailors.

The basics

At the Paralympic Games, athletes compete in three mixed events: the Single-handed, Two-Person and Three-Person Keelboat competitions. The design of the keelboats used in Paralympic competition provides greater stability, and the boats have open cockpits to allow more room for the sailors. Classification is used to level the playing field where there are a variety of disability levels.

Each event consists of a series of races sailed over a six-day period, averaging two races a day. Points in each race are awarded according to position: the winner gets one point, the second-place finisher scores two, and so on through the fleet so the competitor with the lowest score at the end of the series wins gold. Competitors sail 11 races in total and are allowed to discard the result of their worst-scoring race, meaning the total of their 10 best races gives them their final position.

Paralympic Sailing, past and present

Sailing was introduced to the Paralympic Games as a demonstration event at Atlanta in 1996. Four years later, it became a full medal sport at the Sydney 2000 Games. At London 2012, the Paralympic Sailing competition will be held in the beautiful but testing waters of Weymouth Bay on the south coast of England.

Jargon buster

- Port: When looking forwards, the left-hand side of the craft.
- Starboard: When looking forwards, the right-hand side of the craft.
- Tacking: When a boat passes through the eye of the wind in order to change direction. Because it is impossible to sail directly into the wind, sailing boats must zigzag.
- Keel boat: Any boat with a keel as opposed to a centreboard or dagger board as used in dinghies.

Get involved

With beginners’ courses around the country for people of all ages and backgrounds, it is easy to get started in Sailing. Find out more by visiting the websites for the Royal Yachting Association or the International Association for Disabled Sailing. The Active Places website allows you to search for facilities in England, and you can also learn more about how to get involved at the Parasport website.