What is a 470 in Olympic sailing?

470 sailing will return to the Olympic Games at Paris 2024 but not as we know it.

The ultimate test of teamwork and aerobic fitness, the 470 is no stranger to the biggest stage in sport but has undergone a refresh ahead of this summer’s Games.

Here’s everything you need to know about this class.

What is 470?

The 470 is a dinghy designed to be raced by two people.

Dinghy racing has been part of the Olympics since 1920 but the 470 came onto the scene at Montreal 1976.

It was an open class at that point, with separate events for men and women introduced at Seoul 1988. As of Paris 2024, 470 crews will be made up of one man and one woman.

How does 470 work?

The 470 has a spinnaker and a trapeze, meaning communication and collaboration are crucial to fast racing.

The differences in speeds between the top boats are often small, making tactical nous all-important for success.

A popular class, most sailors start in a more stable and less demanding dinghy before moving on to the 470.

Who are the previous Olympic medallists?

Tokyo 2020, 470 Men: Gold – Mathew Belcher, William Ryan (Australia), Silver – Fredrik Bergstrom, Anton Dahlberg (Sweden), Bronze – Jordi Xammar, Nicolás Rodríguez (Spain)

Rio 2016, 470 Men: Gold – Šime Fantela, Igor Marenić (Croatia), Silver – Mathew Belcher, William Ryan (Australia), Bronze – Panagiotis Mantis, Pavlos Kagialis (Greece)

London 2012, 470 Men: Gold – Mathew Belcher, Malcolm Page (Australia), Silver – Luke Patience, Stuart Bithell (Great Britain), Bronze – Lucas Calabrese, Juan de la Fuente (Argentina)

Tokyo 2020, 470 Women: Gold – Hannah Mills, Eilidh McIntyre (Great Britain), Silver – Agnieszka Skrzypulec, Jolanta Oga (Poland), Bronze – Camille Lecointre, Aloïse Retornaz (France)

Rio 2016, 470 Women: Gold – Hannah Mills, Saskia Clark (Great Britain), Silver – Jo Aleh, Polly Powrie (New Zealand), Bronze – Camille Lecointre, Hélène Defrance (France)

London 2012, 470 Women: Gold – Jo Aleh, Polly Powrie (New Zealand), Silver – Hannah Mills, Saskia Clark (New Zealand), Lisa Westerhof, Lobke Berkhout (Netherlands)

Who are the top athletes in 470?

Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman of Spain have been very successful in the Paris Olympiad.  They won World Championship gold in February and European Championship gold in May, as well as rarely being off the podium at major regattas in recent times.

Japan’s Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka are another consistent pairing and they took the gold medal at the 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championship.

The host nation France have high hopes, too, with two-time Olympic medallist Camille Lecointre combining with Jeremie Mion to win the Paris 2024 Test Event in Marseille.

When is the 470 event at Paris 2024?

470 racing begins on Saturday 3 August and concludes on Wednesday 7 August.