Olympic sailing: "Clarity at last!": 2020 Olympics to take place in 2021

Just two days after the announced cooling-off period of a maximum of four weeks, the Japanese hosts, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its German President Thomas Bach have announced the final postponement of the XXXII Olympic Games due to the coronavirus pandemic. The IOC press statement on Tuesday stated the new date: "After 2020, but no later than summer 2021." The exact date requires further coordination, for example with the World Association of Athletics Federations, whose 2021 World Championships are planned from 6 to 15 August. The organisers have already signalled their willingness to reschedule. The 19th Swimming World Championships 2021 in Fukuoka, Japan (16 July to 1 August) must also be taken into account when rescheduling the Olympic Games.

For the international athlete community, but also for the organisers, partners and guests from all over the world, the decision to postpone the Olympic Games primarily means less uncertainty. "It finally brings clarity and better planning, which is great," says 49er foresailor Susann Beucke from Strande. With a twinkle in her eye, the squad sailor from the Hanover Yacht Club (Chiemsee Yacht Club), who is leading the national Olympic elimination after two of three regattas with Tina Lutz, adds: "The only annoying thing is that we have an extra 29 in our sails because we would both have been 29 years old at the Olympic Games this year. We'll probably have to replace that with 30."

Allgäu Laser world champion Philipp Buhl also welcomes the postponement of the Olympic summit to 2021. The helmsman from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein says: "This is my favourite solution. It means more time, no chaos. Peace and order can be restored worldwide. Then we can rebuild next year and all prepare well."

The situation is somewhat more difficult for the bronze medallists in the 49er: Erik Heil and Thomas Plößel had taken a break from sailing last year, pursued their studies and then returned to Olympic action in late summer. With resounding success: Heil/Plößel won silver at the 2019 World Championships and were able to challenge the class dominators and America's Cup defenders Peter Burling and Blair Tuke from New Zealand on equal terms. At the beginning of 2020, Heil/Plößel proved that they would also be a force to be reckoned with in the battle for medals at the Olympic Games in the summer of 2020 by taking bronze at the World Championships and winning the national Olympic qualifiers with aplomb. But now the Games have been postponed for a year.

This could be a problem for helmsman Erik Heil in particular, who wanted to continue his medical studies after the summer of 2020. For the 30-year-old Berliner, who won a celebrated bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics under Rio de Janeiro's sugar loaf with Thomas Plößel, it now depends on how the Olympic Games, which have been postponed to 2021, are approached: Will the qualification decisions and intermediate results already achieved be retained or will a new, early qualification process be necessary due to the new Olympic year? There is much to suggest that the results achieved so far will continue to apply. However, final decisions on this must first be agreed between the proposing German Sailing Association (DSV) and the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) before they can be announced. Information on this will be provided shortly.