Eight Irish Sailors Vying For World Titles & 2016 Olympic Qualification

1,250 sailors in over 900 boats from 84 nations will begin competing at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Spain tomorrow (12 September). 50% of Rio 2016 Olympic places will be up for grabs at the regatta as well as numerous World Titles.

The ISAF Worlds, hosted in Santander in northern Spain, is the event every sailor has been aiming to peak at since the London 2012 Olympic Games and the competition will be fierce. Among the sailing talent will be eight Irish sailors, competing across five different classes.

This event will be the first opportunity for Providence Team IRL and the other Irish sailors to qualify Ireland for the 2016 Games in the following classes:

Providence Team IRL (sailors that competed in London 2012)
Laser Radial - Annalise Murphy
Laser Standard - James Espey
49er - Ryan Seaton & Matt McGovern

ISA Development Academy (sailors in training for 2016)
Laser Standard - Finn Lynch
49erFX - Andrea Brewster & Saskia Tidey

Other (Sailor campaigning independently of the ISA and Irish Sports Council's Programme)
Finn - Ross Hamilton

First to compete will be the Laser classes. This will include Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial and James Espey and Finn Lynch both in the Laser Standard. Racing for these classes will begin tomorrow and continue until the top 10 boats qualify for the Medal Races on Thursday the 18th of September. The top 19 nations will qualify their country for the Games in the Radial fleet and the top 23 will qualify in the men's Standard fleet.

The 49er, 49erFX and Finn classes will begin racing on Monday the 15th of September, concluding the regatta with their Medal Races on Sunday the 21st of September. Ireland will have three teams competing in these classes including duos Ryan Seaton & Matt McGovern and Andrea Brewster & Saskia Tidey. Both of these teams must finish in the top 10 nations to qualify for the Games in two years' time.

ISA Performance Director James O'Callaghan remarked "If we can get three boats qualified for the Games at this regatta it would be a huge achievement. Qualifying early sets up the cycle very well".