Ben Ainslie has arrived back in the UK after his departure from the One World America’s Cup syndicate last week. Although there has been much speculation as to what he is planning to do next it has been confirmed he will back on the World Class Performance programme as a level A sailor in the Finn.

It will not be plain sailing for Ben as he has a number of issues that he needs to address such as fitness, which includes a weight gain programme, as well as getting hold of a competitive boat and rig, and that’s before he even starts sailing. His sailing programme begins when he trains against fellow British Finn sailors at a training camp later on in the month and then he will have his first taste of competition at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma at the end of March.

Ben returns to Olympic sailing after a year on the America’s Cup scene, which has developed his skills and approach to the sport. He said: “The America’s cup is a real example of where things are taken to the limit, and this has opened up my thinking. While I was there I started building up my upper body strength, as this is a big aspect of that type of sailing, and as a consequence I put on some weight. Because of these factors the Finn seems like the right choice of boat to make. It will be interesting for me to be starting at the bottom of a class again, but I think that I will find this very rewarding, and there is great knowledge in Britain in this class, which will really help me.”