Olympic Sailing boats: Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing events explained

Toby Heppell

From foiling windsurfers and catamarans to traditional classes here'e everything you need to know about the Olympic Boats and Olympic Sailing Events at Paris 2024

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There have been many changes to the Olympic Sailing boats – or Olympic sailing classes – since the last, Covid delayed, Games in Tokyo, so what are the new Olympic Boats zipping around in the stunning Mediterranean weather in the Olympic sailing venue in Marseilles?

Two of the new Olympic sailing events do not take place in boats at all, but are the Olympic Windsurfing and Olympic Kitesurfing events, which along with the Olympic Dinghy, Olympic Multihull, and Olympic Skiff events all fall under the ‘Olympic Sailing’ banner.

Both the windsurfing and kitesurfing events at the Paris 2024 Olympics will be zooming around out of the water on hydrofoils – as is the case for the Olympic Multihull, the Nacra 17 Catamaran.

Olympic Sailing in Paris 2024 runs from 28th July – 8th Aug

The 10 events that will take place in Paris 2024 will be:

  • Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – NEW for 2024
  • Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – NEW for 2024
  • Men’s Kite – Formula Kite – NEW for 2024
  • Women’s Kite – Formula Kite – NEW for 2024
  • Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
  • Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
  • Men’s Skiff – 49er
  • Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
  • Mixed Dinghy – 470 – NEW for 2024
  • Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Paris 2024 Olympic Boats

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 6 Race Day on 14th July 2023.

Olympic Windsurfer – IQFoil – Men & women

The IQFoil is a windsurfing class selected by World Sailing to replace the RS:X for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Sailors competing in the IQFoil fleet may only use a single sail – a notable difference from many windsurfing events, where multiple sails sizes may be used. The sail size for the men’s class is 9m2.

The women’s Olympic windsurfer features a slightly smaller sail than the men’s class at 8m2. For both the men’s and women’s classes, the rider has a choice between using a hydrofoil or a conventional 68 cm fin, with the former being used in all but the lightest of conditions.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 6 Race Day on 14th July 2023.

Olympic Kitesurfer – Formula Kite – Women & Men

Formula Kite will make its Olympic debut in 2024 having been selected by World Sailing to effectively replace two Olympic Dinghy events. The class features a soft, foil kite and a board with a hydrofoil.

For both men’s and Women’s fleets, the Formula Kite classes do not feature one-design kit, but instead competitors use their choice of approved production equipment. The International Kiteboarding Association (IKA) manages the class.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 3 Race Day on 11th July 2023.

Olympic Multihull – Nacra 17 – Mixed

The first mixed class in sailing at the Olympics, the Nacra 17 must have one male and one female, though which role they take (helm or crew) is up to the teams.

The Nacra 17 is a very high performance catamaran and now features hydrofoils allowing the boat to zip around above the surface of the water. It can be very fast and very difficult to control, which can result in races with many lead changes.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 6 Race Day on 14th July 2023.

Olympic Singlehanded Dinghy – ILCA 7  (Men) + ILCA 6 (Women)

Formerly known at the Laser and the Laser Radial, the ILCA 7 (and women’s ILCA 6) have the largest number of boats at the Olympic sailing regatta. The singlehanded dinghy is a one-design and all sailors are assigned an identical boat at the start of the competition.

The women’s singlehanded dinghy features the same hull as the men’s class with a slightly smaller rig. As with the men’s class, the athletes are assigned a boat at the start of competition.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 7 Race Day on 15th July 2023.

Olympic Skiff – 49erFX (Women) 49er (Men)

The high performance 49er skiff has wings on the side of the boat to increase leverage. Both the helm and crew trapeze from these wings at the same time to increase leverage further still. As a result the boats are fast and difficult to sail requiring a high level of athleticism.

The 49erFX is one of the newest Olympic classes, having been introduced in 2016. The hull is the same at the 49er but the sails are smaller and set on a smaller rig. It still features the two wings and two trapezes and is just as challenging to sail as the 49er.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Test Event, Marseille, France. Day 5 Race Day on 13th July 2023.

Olympic 2 Person Dinghy – 470 – Mixed

The 470 is a two person dinghy with one helm steering and a crew on the trapeze. for 2024 this has become a mixed event and, like the Nacra 17 must have 1 male and 1 female athlete, though what position they take is up to the crew themselves. Equipment is controlled but can be modified to a degree in order to better match the boat and sailors. Men and women compete in two different fleets for two different medals, though in the same type of boat.

Head over to our Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing page for more on the Olympic Sailing, Olympic sailing form guide, and Olympic sailing boats explainer.

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