On Point
Letter
to the IOC:
Jaques
Rogge, President
International Olympic Committee
Château de Vidy
1007 Lausanne
Switzerland
Cc:
Members of the International Olympic Committee
ISAF Council Members
7th
May 2008
A
PETITION CONCERNING THE 2012 SAILING REGATTA
Dear
Mr. Rogge
We
ask that IOC intervene to ensure that the 2012 Olympic Sailing Regatta
include a Multihull Event so that it genuinely presents “the wide
range and diversity of sailing” as claimed by ISAF’s President,
Goran Petersson.
Multihulls
represent a large branch of the sport, accounting for between a tenth
and a third of global participation depending on the basis of calculation
and have been part of the Regatta continuously since 1976.
However
the Commission now requires that the Regatta be reduced from 11 to 10
Events. Last November ISAF chose to do this by eliminating the only Multihull
Event, rather than any of the two Keelboat, two Windsurf or six Dinghy
Events.
As
explained in our Report, it appears that ISAF did so because multihulls
are politically weakest, not least representative, least telegenic or
least suitable for the Olympics. In the view of your former colleague
and previous ISAF President, Paul Henderson, “The most interesting
observation is to see how many MNA’s are now saying that their delegates
were instructed to vote in the best interest of their specific country
winning medals – not in the best interest of our beloved sport. Surprise!
Surprise! Holier than thou pontifications are quite hollow methinks.” Read
on.
