Portsmouth, R.I. (March 22, 2007) – The U.S. Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing will be held October 3-14, 2007 in Newport, R.I., US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, announced today. The Paralympic Trial events will be hosted by the Rhode Island Sailing Foundation, New York Yacht Club, Ida Lewis Yacht Club and Sail Newport. Sailors will compete in the three events selected for the 2008 Paralympic Regatta in Qingdao, China: 2.4 Metre (Open Singlehanded), SKUD-18 (Open Doublehanded) and Sonar (Open Triplehanded).

Only sailors who are eligible to represent the USA at the Paralympic Games are able to compete in the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials – Sailing. Upon approval from the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), the athletes who win the Trials will be named to the U.S. Paralympic Team and will compete in the Paralympic Regatta, to be held September 6-17, 2008 in Qingdao, China, a coastal city located 430 miles east of Beijing.

"The USOC is excited to be working in partnership with US SAILING, the Rhode Island Sailing Foundation and Sail Newport as we prepare for selection of the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team. The Trials will identify what we expect will be the most competitive U.S. Paralympic Sailing Team ever. Sailing will be the first sport to conduct trials for 2008, and we are confident that US SAILING and the local organizers will set a high standard for quality of the Trials competition," said Joe Walsh, Managing Director of the USOC's Paralympic Division. 

For additional details on the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials for Sailing, including the Athlete Selection Procedures, please visit: http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/Trials/paralympictrials.asp.

About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

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