ISA announce new format for Olympic selection

SAILING:A NEW trials series to decide who will race for Ireland in next year's Olympic regatta was announced yesterday. The news means the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) is reverting back to on-the-water trials in place of a subjective selection system used for Beijing four years ago.

An Ireland squad, made up of six sailors who are part of the Irish Sports Council carding scheme, plus a number of other campaigns, are aiming to secure places in three of the 10 Olympic classes that will race in Weymouth.

It means Annalise Murphy and Tiffany Brien will go head-to-head in the Laser Radial dinghy at the Holland Regatta in May and Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth for Olympic nomination. They will race a third and final trial in the first quarter of 2012.

Dún Laoghaire’s Max Treacy and Anthony Shanks are expected to challenge 2011 squad members Peter O’Leary and David Burrows for the Star keelboat nomination at the same regattas.

Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern are campaigning in the 49er dinghy and are also named as squad members. They may yet be challenged by up-and-coming junior squad members.

In addition to the trials Ireland must also qualify as a nation.

The main nation qualifier event is in Perth, Australia, next December, where 75 per cent of all Olympic places will be earned. It is unfortunately a venue that will add significantly to Irish campaign costs.

Belfast’s Ross Kearney and Max Odell lead overall after 13 races sailed at the Mirror World Championships in Albany, Australia, with the final races being sailed this morning. The Royal North pairing, who won the European Championships when they were held in Sligo last summer, are up against strong competition from three nations, Britain, Australia and the Philippines, but have moved up the fleet from sixth overall on Tuesday to lead from Britain’s Millie Newman and Jessica Rust.

In Dún Laoghaire the cost of boat parking has been queried by SB3 sailors, leading one sailor to say: “Clubs need to carefully consider their pricing policies or otherwise we are going to experience a more widespread abandonment of club sailing of SB3s”.

The SB3 has the biggest one-design fleet on the bay, mustering more than 30 boats.

Oisín Van Gelderen is Irish Speed Sailing champion for 2010 after a top season where the Dubliner posted a record-breaking speed trial in West Kirby, near Liverpool, where he reached a maximum speed of 47.17 knots (87.36 kmph).