During the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, vessels of all shapes and sizes will race on the waters of Marseille in sailing events from Sunday, July 28 to Thursday, August 8.

Each day of Olympic sailing competition starts at 5:00 a.m. ET and is scheduled to finish at 1:00 p.m. ET.

The idyllic Mediterranean waters just off Marseille’s coast will serve as the proving grounds for nautical teams from around the world during the 2024 Olympic Games. Competitors will set out from Roucas-Blanc Marina while spectators will have an opportunity to take in spectacular views of the races from temporary grandstands built on an elevated highway overlooking the sea.

A rendering of the Marseille Marina, home to sailing during the Paris Olympics.

Paris 2024

What are the basic principles of Olympic sailing?

Olympic sailing revolves around skill, strategy, and adaptability as sailors navigate a series of races. The following are some of the key principles of the sport.

• Boat control: Sailors must master control of their boats, adjusting sails and steering to harness the wind effectively as they maneuver around the course
• Tactical racing: Sailors must make strategic decisions regarding wind shifts, currents, and course positioning to gain advantages over their competitors
• Adaptability to conditions: Conditions on the water can vary, from light winds to strong gusts and changing currents. Sailors must adapt their tactics and sail settings to optimize their performance regardless of the weather conditions. 

How is sailing scored at the Olympics?

The low-point scoring system is used in Olympic sailing, where the boat with the lowest total points at the end of the series wins. For example, the first-place finisher gets one point, the second-place sailor gets two points and so forth. Hence, a lower number is better.

After all qualifying races for a particular event are over, the total score is calculated by adding up the points won, discarding the worst finish. 

The top-10 sailors (ranked according to lowest totals) at the end of the qualifying phase make it to the medal race. Points acquired in the medal race are doubled and added to the overall total. The score in the medal race cannot be dropped from the total, even if it’s the worst finish for a sailor in all of his or her races. At the end of the medal race, the sailor with the lowest overall total wins gold, the second-lowest gets silver and the third-lowest takes home the bronze. 

How does Olympic sailing work?

There are 10 sailing events at the Olympics, all of which are contested in a specific sailing class. The events include men and women, along with mixed-gender events. The Mixed Two Person Dinghy event will make its Olympic debut in Paris, along with Formula Kite and iQFoil (which replaces the RS:X class). 

• Men's One Person Dinghy (ILCA 7): A single-handed dinghy class sailed by men
• Women's One Person Dinghy (ILCA 6): A single-handed dinghy class sailed by women
• Men's Skiff (49er): A high-performance skiff sailed by a two-person male crew
• Women's Skiff (49er FX): A high-performance skiff sailed by a two-person female crew
• Men's Windsurfing (iQFoil): A windsurfing class for men using foiling boards, which lift the board out of the water to reduce drag and increase speed
• Women's Windsurfing (iQFoil): A windsurfing class for men using foiling boards, which lift the board out of the water to reduce drag and increase speed
• Men's Kiteboarding (Formula Kite): A kiteboarding class sailed by women using kiteboards and hydrofoils 
• Women's Kiteboarding (Formula Kite): A kiteboarding class sailed by women using kiteboards and hydrofoils
• Mixed Two Person Dinghy (470): A two-person dinghy class sailed by a mixed-gender crew 
• Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17): A multihull class sailed by a two-person crew consisting of one man and one woman 

The competition typically consists of a series of races held over several days, with each race lasting 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the class and conditions. The number of races and the format may vary between events, but the goal is to determine an overall winner based on the cumulative results of all races. 

How do you qualify for Olympic sailing?

The qualification period began with the 2023 Sailing World Championships where 107 quota places were awarded to the highest-ranked NOCs across 10 different sailing classes. Subsequently, each class awards one quota place at their respective continental championship (Africa, Asia, Central & South America, Europe, North America & Caribbean, and Oceania) with the exception of the ILCA classes, which will award quota places as follows. Seven places were distributed to sailors representing the highest-finishing, not previously qualified NOCs at the ILCA 7 Men's World Championship and the ILCA 6 Women's World Championship. Each single-handed continental qualification event will award two quota places with the exception of Asia, which awarded one quota place at the 2022 Asian Games in China and two quota places at the 2023 ASAF Championships in Thailand. 

The remainder of the total quota places for all classes will be awarded to the eligible NOCs at the 2024 Last Chance Regatta in Hyères, France (39 boats in total) and as part of the World Sailing Emerging Nations Program (two boats per gender each in windsurfing and dinghy).

Host nation France reserves a single boat in each of the 10 sailing classes, whereas four quota places (two per gender) are distributed to the NOCs competing in the men's ILCA 7 and women's ILCA 6 under the Tripartite Commission.