BRISTOL, RHODE ISLAND (7 June 2023) – The US Sailing Team has announced the slate of 14 athletes who will represent the United States at this year’s Paris 2024 Test Event taking place in Marseille, France July 7-16. The Test Event will closely mirror the Olympic Games competition, with each country sending one boat per class.
What is the Test Event?
The Test Event is used as a “dress rehearsal” and will operate in the same format as the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Test Events traditionally provides event organizers and Olympic authorities the opportunity to test personnel and venue staging, working to eliminate flaws in their plans in the lead up to the Olympic Games.
What’s on the line?
The Paris 2024 Test Event is the first opportunity for US athletes to earn a nomination to Team USA for Paris 2024. According to US Sailing’s Paris 2024 Selection Procedures, a finish on the podium (first, second, or third) will serve as “early selection” and the athlete(s) will lock in their nomination for Paris, thus closing Trials for their class. Any classes whose representatives do not finish on the podium will enter “late selection” in 2024, details of which can be found here.
Representing the United States at the Paris 2024 Test Event:
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- Mixed 470: Stu McNay (Providence, RI) and Lara Dallman-Weiss (Shoreview, Minn.)
- 49er: Ian Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI) and Hans Henken (Coronado, Calif.)
- 49er FX: Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wis.) and Maggie Shea (Wilmette, IL)
- Women’s Formula Kite: Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, Calif.)
- Men’s Formula Kite: Markus Edegran (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
- ILCA 7: Chapman Petersen (Fontana, Wis.)
- ILCA 6: Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
- Nacra 17: Sarah Newberry Moore (Miami, Fla) and David Liebenberg (Richmond, Calif.)
- Men’s iQFOiL: Noah Lyons (Clearwater, Fla.)
- Women’s iQFOiL: Dominique Stater (Miami, Fla.)
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“We’re proud to be represented at the Paris 2024 Test Event in Marseille next month by this incredible group of 14 athletes,” said US Sailing CEO, Alan Ostfield. “As US Sailing continues its transformation, the goal remains the same: keep the athletes the priority and support their path to the podium one day at a time. July 7th will be here before we know it, and all of us back home can’t wait to cheer them on.”
The Test Event is also a broader key performance indicator for athletes as they check in with the international fleets and find out where they stack up. After the Test Event, their next opportunity to challenge their international competitors will be the 2023 Sailing World Championships in The Hague, The Netherlands from August 10-20, which serves as the first country qualification opportunity for the Paris 2024 Games. Typically, each Olympic class holds independent World Championships (up to 10 separate World Championships each year). But once a quadrennium, all classes gather to hold their World Championship at the same time in the same location, making it the largest event in the Olympic cycle.
Beyond a first chance at Paris 2024 selection in the US, the 2023 Sailing World Championships also serve as the first and largest opportunity to qualify countries for berths across the 10 classes in Paris 2024. At the conclusion of the World Championships, 107 berths will be locked in for the top finishing countries, and it’s up to each country to administer their own selection processes to name the athlete(s) who will go on to represent them in their respective class at the Olympics.
Read more about country qualification and the following opportunities to punch the USA’s ticket to Paris 2024 after the Test Event here.
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For media inquiries, please contact Allison Chenard, USST Media & Communications | allisonchenard@ussailing.org | +1(401) 342-7962