At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the windsurfing competitions will be held on iQFoil material for the first time. Like all sailing disciplines, the windsurfing regattas will take place off Marseille. For Germany Theresa Steinlein and Sebastian Kördel at the start. As world champion in 2022 and runner-up in 2023, Kördel is one of the top favourites for a medal.
More about Olympia and iQFoil:
What races are there in the iQFoil?
There are basically three different types of race possible:
- Course race
- Slalom
- Marathon
All races are counted equally in the overall standings, regardless of the discipline.
Course race
In the course race, laid out buoys/marks must be circumnavigated in a specific order. The course consists of several legs on different courses such as downwind, half-wind and upwind. In upwind sections, the buoy to be reached is upwind, so the racers have to cross against the wind and perform additional manoeuvres. Good tactics are important with regard to the choice of manoeuvres and the angle to the wind. Course races are held with a large starting field of up to 60 people in winds of 5 to 15 knots.
(Sprint) Slalom
Slalom is usually used in stronger winds, with a lower limit of nine knots. Here, the surfers sail around the buoys in a zig-zag course with relatively short legs on a space wind course. The speeds are higher and tight situations can occur at the turning marks. This is why a maximum of 24 starters take to the water at the same time in the slalom; the knockout system applies. The top finishers then progress to the next round, where they meet the best from another heat.
Marathon
The marathon in the iQFoil is a very long course race that often utilises geographical points in the area, such as small islands or headlands. Here too, the legs should be aligned at different angles to the wind. The marathon is usually held as a "full fleet race", which means that all riders take to the water at the same time.
The Olympic hunting ground off Marseille
The organisers envisage four courses for all sailing classes: The two main courses "Corniche" and "Marseille" are positioned close to land, with "Frioul" and "Calanques" further out. The latter are hardly considered in the pre-allocation at first, but come into play more strongly when the wind weakens close to land. For the marathon, which is only available in the iQFoil class, a course is planned throughout the entire Bay of Marseille, which will also lead around the islands of Îles d'Edoume, Île Gaby and Île d'If. The athletes are looking forward to these races with mixed feelings, as what should be a spectacle for the spectators will challenge the athletes to the maximum as they "fly blind" to the next mark.
The competition mode in iQFoil - or: What are Medal Races?
The mode in Olympic windsurfing differs from most other formats. Usually, either several heats/races are run and the points are then summarised in a table. After a certain number of scores, the worst results can be cancelled. In the course of the regatta, a ranking crystallises that may not be able to change at the end. Alternatively, the competitors race against each other in a knockout system, meaning that those who are eliminated early have no chance of winning.
Both modes are combined in iQFoil: A regatta begins with the Opening Series, in which the fleet races several times and the points are included in a ranking. The number of races depends on the conditions, as does the format (see above). In the case of very large fields, groups of equal size are formed. As the Olympic fleets only consist of 24 starters each, the entire field always starts.
The Medal Series or Medal Races then follow on the final day. These are three races:
- In the Quarter finals the fourth to tenth places in the ranking list from the Opening Series will compete. This means that all riders from eleventh place onwards have no chance of improving and their positions are finalised. The two best starters in this race will...
- ...Semi-final and will meet the second and third place finishers from the Opening Series. The best two drivers from this race will then...
- ...in the large Final. Here they meet the leader of the ranking list after the Opening Series. These three will then compete against each other for the final medal positions.
So suspense is guaranteed right up to the last moment, because even on the last day, the tenth-placed athlete can theoretically still make it all the way to the front. Conversely, the top athletes from the Opening Series cannot be sure of victory even if they are in a commanding lead. However, the three laps in the Medal Races make it almost impossible for them to crash too brutally. Great for the spectators: they can look forward to an exciting final day on which the results are quickly determined and can be followed transparently. Whoever crosses the finish line first in the final is the Olympic champion at that moment!
The schedule for the windsurfing competitions at the 2024 Olympics
The iQFoil races are scheduled for the first week of the Olympic Games. From Sunday, 28 July to Thursday, 1 August There will be four races per day for both men and women, totalling 20 heats. This can of course change depending on the conditions. The Medal Races are then scheduled for Friday, 2 Augustplanned. The 3rd of August is still available as an alternative day.
This year, as is well known, surfing, i.e. original surfing, will be an Olympic sport for the first time. The competitions will take place on the legendary reef of Teahupoo, with Tim Elter and Camilla Kemp competing for Germany. The surf heats run in the traditional elimination system and are scheduled for the period from Son Tuesday, 27 July to Wednesday, 31 July planned. There are still alternative days in the calendar from 1 to 4 August. Here too, of course, it depends on the conditions when the competitions can be started.
Windsurfing at the 2024 Olympics on TV
In the joint project, ARD and ZDF realise up to ten parallel online live streams of all types of sport per day. The promise: All finals, all competitions with German participation and all international highlights can be watched online. Including the action in the Bay of Marseille. The live streams will also be available "on demand" after the broadcasts.
Both public broadcasters have their sights set on Olympic sailing and have commentary teams on site. All races held on the TV track can be watched live online in the stream: on 28 July on ARD at sportschau.de, on 29 July on ZDF at sportstudio.de, then in this order and alternating daily.
Eurosport and Discovery+ (for a fee) will also be showing Olympic sailing. All times can be found in the broadcasters' current programme schedules. As a rule, the so-called sessions are scheduled from 12 noon to 7 pm on the twelve planned regatta days.
