Eighty athletes representing 25 countries in three keelboat classes - the 2.4mR, the SKUD 18, and the Sonar, took part in sailing in the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Sailing was held in two designated areas on the Yellow Sea, Qingdao, Shandong province, from September 8 to September 13.
Competitors had a wide range of physical disabilities including degenerative nerve disease, blindness, missing limbs, and polio.
Boats were prepared and launched from the docks of the Qingdao International Sailing Centre, which also included the accessible Qingdao Paralympic Village, a 5-star hotel which previously housed the Olympic Sailing athletes.
Events Three sailing events were held. All were mixed events, meaning that men and women could compete together.
International disability classification in sailing is done by a committee, which gives each competitor a number score with lower numbers corresponding to more severe disability. Sailors were classified under the IFDS Functional Classification System 2005 (FCS 2005). To take part in Paralympic sailing, an athlete must have a score of 7 or less. Functional Classification System full details:
Event Boat Classifications Single-Person Keelboat 2.4mR All sailors are required to have a minimal disability or a higher level of disability as defined in the FCS 2005. Two-Person Keelboat SKUD 18 Crew shall include a female and one severely disabled sailor with a 1-point classification. Three-Person Keelboat Sonar The total Sonar crew points shall not exceed 14 points.
The 2-person keelboat (SKUD18) made its official début in the Paralympics. The only Paralympic class keelboat with a spinnaker, emblazoned with the national flag of each country. Of the 11 countries competing in the SKUD event, 7 had female crew.
Results Eighty athletes represented twenty-five countries in the three event classes. Qualification full details
Medal table This ranking sorts countries by the number of gold medals earned by their sailors (in this context a country is an entity represented by a National Paralympic Committee. The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze medals. If, after the above, countries are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically.
Medallists In the 2-person keelboat event, all three of the medal-winning teams were composed of one man and one woman. Those three women were the first women to win Paralympic medals in sailing. Sailing competition athletes and full results.
1-person keelboat 2.4mR 2-person keelboat SKUD 18 Nick Scandone Maureen McKinnon-Tucker Daniel Fitzgibbon Rachael Cox John McRoberts Stacie Louttit 3-person keelboat Sonar Jens Kroker Robert Prem Siegmund Mainka Bruno Jourdren Herve Larhant Nicolas Vimont-Vicary Colin Harrison Russell Boaden Graeme Martin
One Person Keelboat - 2.4 Metre
Rank Athlete RacePoints12345678910TotNet 1152(9)(9)2451 39 21 44346(17)(11)112 39 21 261(9)17(10)344 47 28 32(11)6431(11)27 50 28 532(10)715(12)63 54 32 (9)7612635(9)9 57 39 (10)57734(12)285 63 41 68(16)(13)82961312 93 647(17)OCS13558(15)7713 97 65 10 898(16)121113(16)36 102 70 11 11114(15)(15)54131410 102 72 12 (12)1010810(13)681011 98 73 13 (15)139313(14)714128 106 79 14 13(15)121114(15)8101114 123 93 15 141215121110(16)9(16)5 130 98 16 (16)141414(16)1214151516 146 114
Two Person Keelboat - SKUD 18 Rank Nation (skipper first) RacePoints1234567891011 CancelledTotNet 2111(3)2112(12)DNS 26 11 (4)22224(9)312 31 18 3333132(8)(4)3 33 21 147756(8)4(8)1 51 35 55(8)(8)414774 53 37 (10)6(12)DSQ5656236 61 39 6(9)447(12)RAF3597 66 45 7756(8)77(11)55 68 49 886(9)(9)85668 73 5510 9(10)9(10)109109109 95 7511 (11)(11)1011111011101110 106 84
Open Three-Person Keelboat - Sonar
Rank Nation (skipper first) RacePoints1234567891011TotNet 56314(11)52(9)45 55 35 411271(10)587(15)DNF 61 36 8423331(10)(15)OCS57 61 36 62581(15)OCS(9)1536 61 37 3(15)DSQ4(15)DSQ26612113 69 38 (9)36(9)5786321 59 41 58 41 69 47 96 7210 101 7511 114 8612 115 8713 117 8814 125 99
References
External links 2008 Paralympic Sailing Competition, Qingdao Official site of the 2008 Summer Paralympics IFDS/ International Association for Disabled Sailing ISAF/ International Sailing Federation