Venue: Weymouth and Portland
Dates: Sunday 29 July – Saturday 11 August
Gold medals up for grabs: 10
Athletes: 380
Crown Prince Olav of Norway won Gold in the Six-metre Sailing class at the Amsterdam 1928 Games
Sailing: a history of the sport
Sailing, previously known as yachting, developed as a sport from an ancient means of transport over water.
It is thought to have begun in the Netherlands, with the word 'yacht' based on the Dutch word 'jaght', meaning 'light shipping or naval craft'.
The sport was brought to England by King Charles II, who discovered it during his exile in the Netherlands in the mid-16th century.
International competition started in 1851 when an American crew sailed across the Atlantic to take part in a race around the Isle of Wight.
The event was re-named the America’s Cup, which remains one of the most prestigious competitions in sailing today.
The sport of Sailing at the Olympic Games now includes Windsurfing, Dinghy, Keelboat and Match racing.
Sailing at the Games
Sailing entered the Olympic programme in Paris 1900 as an event for both men and women. The sport was left out of the St Louis 1904 Games because of problems transporting boats and equipment from Europe to inland America. It returned at London 1908, and has been part of every Games since.
The number and type of Sailing events has changed many times over the years, with different boats popular at different times. Windsurfing was introduced as a Sailing event at Los Angeles in 1984, and women had their own discipline from 1988. Before this they competed on equal terms with the men.
How to play
In Olympic Sailing, competitors use technique, strategy, technology, strength and skill to guide their craft around a course, with the aim of crossing the finish line first.
This involves setting the sails to get maximum power from wind. Olympic class Sailing craft vary greatly in size, from 3.35m to 8.2m.
There will be 10 different classes in 2012, with separate events for men and women. Each event consists of a series of races.
Currently competitors score points for their position in every race, with the winner getting one point, second getting two and so on. At the end of the competition, the individual or crew with the fewest points is declared the winner. The final race is known as the ‘medal race’ and only involves the top 10 nations. It also scores double points.
Jargon buster
Craft: A sail boat or board.
Class: The actual model of craft. For example, the ‘Laser’ is a single-handed, one person craft.
Fleet racing: A style of race where all the competitors sail against each other at the same time.
Port: The left side of a boat when looking forward.
Starboard: The right side of a boat when looking forward.
Tack: To change direction relative to wind. Where the front of the boat passes through the ‘eye’ of the wind to change direction.
Get involved
More than 2.5 million people around the world regularly take part in Sailing. If you’re keen to join them
Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour will be the venue for the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing competitions. It is the first London 2012 Games venue to be finished.
