OLYMPIC SELECTION FOR 2012 AND FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Dear friends,

As you surely know, the One person Heavy weight dinghy (the category for the Finn) has been selected at the annual conference in Estoril by the ISAF council as one of the 10 events to be included in the 2012 Olympic regatta. The last hurdle is now for the Finn to be chosen as equipment for this event.

IFA had a strong team with IFA President Balazs Hajdu, Finn sailors (Daniel Birgmark, Jonas Hoegh-Christensen and Jonathan Lobert), Finn Guru Gus Miller, Richard Hart, Luca Devoti and me. We spent most of the week talking with delegates to make sure the message was clear: sailors over 85 kg need a boat in the Olympic programme. The response was overwhelming when our event received 33 votes out of 36 in council and the same ratio at Events committee where we were placed in 3^rd place on equal points with the 2 Person Skiff (49er) in the case of a 5 men 5 women spread of events. Thanks to everyone for their support, either direct or indirect.

The final vote for equipment will take place in November during the ISAF Conference in Madrid.

During the conference we have met with representatives from Africa and the Middle East and we have started discussions to have Finn produced in these two regions. We have also received interest from countries to organise our events (China, Finland, Spain…). I have met with John Craig, director of the San Francis YC to prepare our 2010 FGC. Perth/Fremantle has been awarded the 2011 ISAF Worlds. So we have nice windy destinations for our next main events!

I will be happy to answer direct questions on the above.

Good training,

Corinne