Sailing has been a part of the Summer Olympics since 1986. However, it was cancelled in that year because of bad weather but it has been present at every Summer Olympics since.
Sailing is one of Great Britain‘s most successful Olympic sports – thanks to this island being one of the windiest in Europe. We’ve won the most gold medals of any country in the world in Olympic sailing events – 25 in total – and the second most medals overall after USA.
This year there will be eight events held at the Marina da Gloria in Guanabara Bay, Brazil, not including the two windsurfing RS:X events.
Sailing In The Rio 2016 Olympics: A Brief History Of The Sport
There has been widespread concern about the pollution in the water at Guanarabara Bay, many are worried it won’t be safe for the sport during August. Garbage including plastic bags and chairs have been
“It is possible you’ll hit while sailing some plastic or you don’t know what. It can either damage the boat or slow you down,” German Olympic sailor Victoria Jurczok told CNN.
One of Victoria’s team mates had to have emergency surgery after a race in Rio last year when cuts on his leg became seriously infected. However, Brazilian Olympic officials insist the water will be safe enough to sail on when the Games come around.
