19 Irish Sailors competing in 14 boats travel to Cascais in Portugal to commence competition on July 3. Ireland’s top Olympic class sailors will travel to Portugal in late June to compete in the ISAF World Championships with hopes of securing starting berths at the 2008 Olympic Games.
19 Sailors will represent Ireland in Cascais, near Lisbon, in the 2007 ISAF World Championship, with competition in the 11 classes running from June 3 to July 13. The team was announced at a special event today (June 13) at the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire. The Irish Team will join 1,390 sailors from 77 nations for the ISAF World Championships, which combines all eleven Olympic Class World Championships into one single event. The team will be spearheaded by the 2007 ISA Olympic Squad members Tim Goodbody (Finn), Ciara Peelo, Debbie Hanna (both Laser Radial), and Russell & Matt McGovern (49er).
The World Championships has additional significance as 75% of the nation places for the 2008 Olympic Games will be allocated at the conclusion of the event. As the remaining 25% will be left to the respective Class World Championships in 2008 this is the only opportunity for Irish boats to secure early qualification for the Games. Strong performances by the Irish sailors will secure Irish places for the 2008 Olympics. John Treacy, Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council, speaking at the event said that “This will be only the second edition of the ISAF World Championships and it is a development we welcome. It gives the high performance sailors an opportunity to compete together as a squad at the highest level. It is also an opportunity to build the public profile of the Olympic classes and the Irish athletes competing in them. We have been consistent a supporter of the ISA High Performance system and recognise that it is building talent that will deliver over the long term”.
James O’Callaghan, ISA High Performance Director explained: “This team is young and relatively inexperienced. However, they are very talented and have proven at various regattas that they have the potential to compete at international level. If they perform to their ability they can achieve high rankings and Olympic qualification spots, which is our main target for 2007”.
The ISA Olympic Squad is funded by the Irish Sports Council. The squad is selected annually based on measured targets of performance set in conjunction with the ISA and the Irish Sports Council. The current squad is young in terms of Olympic experience with the focus on developing talent for the medium and long term.
The squad is augmented by the Olympic campaigners, a group of committed athletes who aim to reach the performance targets set by the ISA. In the meantime their full-time campaigns are supported by private means and great personal effort. Within the ISA Performance Pathway is the ISA Academy, an elite squad of Youth & Development sailors funded by the Irish Sports Council. The aim is to prepare our Academy Members for future Olympic Games.
