Willy Kuhweide won his legendary Finn Olympic gold medal in Enoshima 55 years ago. Now a DSV team is forming again on course for Japan. The qualification system and the framework conditions for the national qualifiers are the hurdles that Germany's best Olympic sailors have to overcome on the way to their desired Olympic start.
In some Olympic disciplines, there is so much competition in Germany that a highly exciting national elimination can be expected. For example, in the 49er skiff class, where at least four German teams will be competing for just one Olympic starting place per nation and discipline in 2019 and 2020. Or in the 470 women's sailing, where three teams - Frederike Loewe/Anna Markfort, Fabienne Oster/Anastasiya Winkel and Nadine Böhm/Ann-Christin Goliaß - have high hopes. In other classes such as the Laser, the number of top players at international level is more manageable; from today's perspective, only the talented Nik Aaron Willim can attempt to shake the established throne of World Championship and world number three Philipp Buhl. In other disciplines, such as the women's 49erFX, national elimination duels such as the one between Vicky Jurczok/Anika Lorenz and Tina Lutz/Susann Beucke are on the cards. After last year's unsuccessful World Championships, Germany's strongest female skiff sailors still have to achieve the necessary national qualification this year, which is what gives the national sailing team a starting place at the 2020 Olympics in the first place.
The German Sailing Association has now announced how the Olympic selection process for the best members of the German Sailing Team will work in the individual disciplines. The majority of sailors welcome the system, which the athletes and their coaches have partly helped to shape. The basic prerequisite for elimination is always the national qualification set by the World Sailing Association. The athletes of the national sailing team only managed this in the Laser, 49er and Laser Radial classes at their first attempt at the 2018 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. The DSV starters still have to fight for a place in the nations in the 49erFX, Finn, 470 Women, 470 Men and Nacra 17 disciplines. Nation qualification seems possible in all five remaining classes, even if it is at least very challenging in some of them.
This video clip shows impressions of the Japanese Olympic area
Once stage one has been taken, stage two is about the basic fulfilment of "the standard of the German Olympic Sports Confederation to prove the chance of making it to the final". To do this, the German Olympic candidates must score points at three major regattas and be ranked among the top ten nations in the final ranking, as well as having collected at least nine points on their qualification account. Here is an overview of the qualification regattas for the individual disciplines:
- LASER: World Championship 2019 (Japan), World Cup Regatta 2019 (Japan), World Championship 2020 (Australia)
- LASER RADIAL: World Cup 2020 (Australia), Trofeo Princesa Sofía 2020 (Mallorca), European Championship 2020
- FINN: World Championship 2020 (Australia), Trofeo Princesa Sofía 2020 (Mallorca), World Cup 2020
- 470 MEN & 470 WOMEN: World Championship 2020 (Mallorca), Trofeo Princesa Sofía 2020 (Mallorca), Sailing World Cup Genoa (Italy) 2020
- 49ER & 49ERFX: World Cup 2019 (New Zealand), World Cup 2020 (Australia), Trofeo Princesa Sofía (Mallorca, Spain)
- NACRA 17: World Cup 2020 (Australia), Trofeo Princesa Sofía (Mallroca, Spain), European Championship 2020
- RS:X MEN AND WOMEN: currently no German starters
Medals and podium places at world championships, open European championships and major international events are awarded a particularly high number of points. The fulfilment of the DOSB criteria is followed by stage three: the DSV proposes the best German crew from the ranking lists created in stage two for nomination by the DOSB. The final nomination of the Olympic participants is made by the DOSB board. The entire process will continue into spring or even early summer 2020.
Further special features, information and the points system explained in detail can be found here.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
