
Sailing is competed in by both men and women at the Olympic games. Tehre are four classes for men, four for women and three mixed classes, open to both men and women. The format of the sailing competition is a fleet racing format. Contestants race around the course in a group, each boat earns a score equat to its finishing position, the scores are added up over the series of races, the lowest total score is the winner. Contestants may drop their worst score.
As far as qualification, 75 percent of the spaces in each sailing class are awarded to top finishers at the 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships. The remaining spaces are given to top finishers at the 2008 World Championships. The host nation is awarded one boat for each event.
Events
Men & Women:
Windsurfer
One Person Dinghy
Two Person Dinghy
Keelboat
Open:
Heavyweight Dinghy
Skiff
Multihull