Qualifying for the Olympics is done in two steps: a country must qualify for the Olympics, and athletes must win their trials.

Country Qualification: 21 countries will compete in the Women’s 470 in the 2012 Olympics: the UK automatically qualifies as host country, 14 countries qualify at the 2011 Worlds, and 5 countries qualify at the 2012 Worlds.

Winning the U.S. Selection: The U.S. Selection system has changed! It is now two international regattas: Sail for Gold in June, 2011, and the Worlds in December, 2011. Add up your finishing rank at each regattas, low points win, tie-breaker goes the leading boat at the 2011 Worlds. Click HERE to see how we are tracking in the Olympic Selection.

About the 470: The 470 is one of eight one-design boats used in the Olympics. It was designed in 1963 in France, and has been an Olympic class since 1976. In 1988 the first Olympic women’s event was sailed in the 470, and Americans Allison Jolly and Lynne Jewell won the gold!

The 470 is equipped with a spinnaker and a trapeze, and is fast! Tactically, the boat is demanding, as speed differences are small and fleets are usually big. The competitive crew weight is 275-310 lbs, which makes it ideal for both women and men. In the World Championships there have been more than 30 countries represented. There are 65 member nations in the International Class Association and more than 40,000 boats have been built in 20 countries on all continents.

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