• The Olympic Yachting event debuted at the 1896 Games in Greece.
  • The U.S. won its first Olympic Yachting medals at the 1932 Games in Los Angeles, taking gold in the Star and 8 Meter classes, and silver in the 6 Meter class.
  • The U.S.A. competed in the first Olympic Yachting events held in 1900, but not again until 1928. A Team has been sent to every Olympic Regatta thereafter, with the exception of 1980 when no U.S. Teams attended the boycotted Games in Russia.
  • The U.S. is the undisputed leader in Olympic sailing, with a total medal record of 54.  
    27 of the U.S. medals have been won over the last five Olympiads.
  • A record 436 sailors representing 77 countries participated in the 1996 Olympic Regatta. In 1992 only 12 nations won the 30 available medals, while in 1996 22 nations divided up the same number of available medals. Of the 24 Barcelona medallists who competed in Savannah, only three medalled again; and four countries won their first-ever yachting medals in Savannah – Hong Kong, Japan, Poland and the Ukraine.
  • The oldest Olympic class boat is the Star, which debuted in 1932 and has been sailed in every Olympiad since, with the exception of 1976.
  • In 1948, US sailors Hilary and Paul Smart were the first father and son in the same sport to win Olympic gold.
  • In 1984, US sailors Bill and Carl Buchan (father and son) were gold medal winners in different classes (Star and Flying Dutchman).
  • In 1988 the first women's event was raced in the doublehanded division. (U.S. sailors Allison Jolly and Lynne Shore won Olympic gold in the event.) In 1992, two additional women's divisions -- singlehanded dinghy and windsurfer -- were added.
  • 1992 marked the first-ever Olympic match racing event. Soling sailors progressed from fleet racing among 24 nations to match racing among the top six fleet finishers to determine the medal winners. (The U.S. team of Kevin Mahaney, Jim Brady and Doug Kern won Olympic silver in the event.)  
  • At the Summer Games in Barcelona, the 1992 Olympic Yachting Team won more medals -- one gold, six silver, and two bronze -- than any other country.
  • Among all '92 U.S. Olympic sports teams, only Athletics and Swimming had a better medal count.
  • The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad will be held in Athens, Greece, from August 13-29, 2004.
  • For 2004, nine one-design class boats have been chosen for the eleven Olympic events:
    Europe Women's Singlehanded Dinghy
    Finn Men's Singlehanded Dinghy
    470 Women's Doublehanded Dinghy
    470 Men's Doublehanded Dinghy
    49er Open High Performance Dinghy
    Laser Open Centerboard Dinghy
    Mistral IMCO Men's Windsurfer
    Mistral IMCO Women's Windsurfer
    Star Men's Keelboat
    Tornado Open Two-Person Multihull
    Yngling Women's Keelboat

 

  • All nine classes are ISAF-approved (International Sailing Federation) for Olympic competition; have international organizations and controlled racing rules; and represent the best competition in the sport.
  • The term "one-design" refers to a class boats' strict standards for materials and methods used in construction. Ultimately, each Olympic boat -- built only by ISAF-licensed boat builders to precise size and weight specifications -- is identical to another in its class.
  • The purpose of one-design class racing is to allow the best sailor -- not the best boat -- to win.