Planning Document
For the Identification and Selection of
NTOs for the Sailing Events at the LA28 Olympic Games
Posted February 18, 2024
In preparation for the upcoming Olympic sailing competition in 2028 to be held in LA/Long Beach, California, World Sailing has reminded US Sailing that as the National Federation (NF) and Member National Authority (MNA), we will be tasked with ensuring that the most qualified National Technical Officials (NTOs) are selected to assist the World Sailing team of International Technical Officials (ITOs) to deliver the best sailing competition at the Olympic Games. World Sailing and the organizing committee for the Olympic Games consider the training and development of the NTO team for a Games to be a significant part of the legacy of the Games for both the host city and the host country.
Background
The sailing competition will be run by the Organizing Authority (OA), which is composed of two organizations:
- World Sailing brings the technical expertise and ensures the competition is run correctly. World Sailing will name the Technical Delegates (TDs) and the International Technical Officials (ITOs) – specifically, the International Jury, the Technical Committee, the Principal Race Officer and World Sailing Course Reps. World Sailing will also approve the NTOs proposed by LA2028 in cooperation with US Sailing to fill the roles defined by World Sailing.
- LA28 provides the funding, resources, and workforce. The first sailing-specific staff members hired will likely be the Sport Manager and the Venue Manager. They will hire additional staff as required and procure the necessary equipment, services, and infrastructure to put on the competition as required by World Sailing.
At this time, we know the following about the appointment of officials from the United States:
- No Certified ITD, IM or IRO from the United States will be appointed as an ITO for LA28.
- One US judge may be appointed to the international jury.
- There will be roles for both NTOs and sport specific volunteers on the Technical Committee team.
- Most of the NTOs will serve on the Race Committee.
- The race office will need 3-4 NTOs.
- Each boat park will need an NTO for each entry point.
- The Bridge, from which the TDs oversee the sailing competition, will need 4-8 NTOs to support the Field of Play (FOP) activities.
The number of NTOs and their specific roles will be determined by World Sailing with LA28.
Until the competition schedule is defined, the final number of NTOs and sport specific volunteers can’t be determined. However, in the meantime, US Sailing will establish an application and selection process and make that public to the US race officials.
The following will be considered as a part of the criteria, as requested by World Sailing, when selecting NTOs:
- Geographic distribution. The benefits of the experience should positively impact race management across the United States.
- Age will be considered, as World Sailing and US Sailing expect that the NTOs will share their race management experience, skills, and expertise in the years to come after the Games.
- Gender equity is a requirement.
These criteria are taken as a whole and, except for gender equity, none of them is more important than the others.
NTOs may be experienced as World Sailing international officials or US Sailing national officials, or have equivalent demonstrated capabilities.
US Sailing will develop and submit the list of NTO candidates to the LA2028 sailing team, who will review and in turn provide it to World Sailing for their review and approval. Following World Sailing’s approval, the list will be provided to the LA28 Workforce management team to start the accreditation and induction process. This is the standard process at any Olympic Games where sailing is included.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Since the Games will be in Los Angeles and Long Beach, won’t the local race committees be asked to run the races?
- Undoubtedly there will be a number of race officials from the area who will be appointed as NTOs. They will serve on teams assembled from among the most qualified race officials in the country.
- What boats will be used to run the races?
- The Sport Manager will determine this based on the requirements that World Sailing provides. We expect that the Sport Manager will try to borrow signal boats, finish boats and mark laying boats from the local sailboat racing community. This is more financially viable than the LA28 Committee purchasing new boats – unless this forms part of the legacy strategy agreed to by LA28 and US Sailing. It is possible that LA28 may purchase or lease some boats from manufacturers which may later be available for reduced sale prices to the local sailing community.
- I have heard that there will be a place for anyone who wants to be part of the Games. Is that true?
- Our experience with previous Games is that generally, that is true. However, it may not be in the specific role that you expect. There will be many staff positions at the venue, hundreds of positions for sport specific volunteers at the sailing venue, and thousands of generalist volunteer positions across all venues. You will be able to be a part of the Games experience if you put your name forward, but there are limited “technical” and “sailing-specific” roles that will be assigned based on ability, experience, and future impact on the sport across the USA.
What happens next?
Over the next 6-24 months, US Sailing will develop an NTO application and selection process, publicize it widely, and invite applications. Here are a few points to be aware of:
- No person involved in the evaluation process will be eligible to serve as an NTO.
- Individual race officials may be invited to join a team working an event prior to the Games, and the way individuals “fit” in those situations will be considered as part of the evaluation process.
- World Sailing has the final say on appointment of NTOs. US Sailing’s role is to recommend strong, highly qualified candidates.
We will share more information as we have it.
Best regards,
Tom Duggan, Chair
US Sailing Race Management Committee