Qingdao sailing centre
Fact Box: Sailing
Format: 10/15 open races followed by Medal race for top ten.
Venue: Qingdao
Dates: Aug 9-21
Medals: 11
GB Record: 17 Gold, 9 Silver, 14 Bronze.
Just about the most basic definition of the sport of sailing is that it involves controlling a vessel (either a yacht or dinghy) in varying weather and sea conditions.
A solo sailor can adjust the rigging, rudder and sails, with both a strong knowledge of meteorology and a thorough understanding of the sport's complex racing rules also essential.
In double-handed competitive sailing, the skipper will control the rudder and determine tactics while another will trim the sails.
The Olympic sailing competition comprises 11 classes in all. Ten of them are scheduled to race at least 10 times, while the 49er class races at least 15 times.
In all the classes except the 49er, contestants are allowed to discard their one worst result, while the 49er can drop two results.
The top 10 boats in each class qualify for a medal race, which is worth double points.
Scores from the medal race are then added to scores from the opening series to decide the final positions.
Format:
Fleet racing around a course of buoys. Each boat earns a score equal to its finishing position, with the eventual winner having the lowest score.
Venue: Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre
Dates: Aug 9-21
Medals: 11 classesGB Record: 17 gold, 9 silver, 14 bronze
Classes:
Women's Keelboat Yngling
Heavy Weight Dinghy-Finn
Skiff Dinghy-49er
Men's Windsurfer -RS:X
Women's Windsurfer -RS:X
Men's Two Person Dinghy-470
Women's Two Person Dinghy-470
Men's One Person Dinghy-Laser
Women's One Person Dinghy-Laser Radial
Multihull - Tornado
Men's Keelboat - Star
History
All action on the water
Sailing (known as yachting up to and including the 1996 Games) first joined the Olympic roster in 1900, with the London Games of 1908 marking the start of an unbroken run.
In 1900, there were 10 classes, ranging from boats weighing less than half a tonne to boats weighing up to 20 tonnes.
Over time, it has changed to four classes for men, four for women, and three mixed classes that are open to both men and women.
Changes since the Athens Games of 2004 see three events being contested using new equipment.
The RS:X windsurfer has been selected to replace the Mistral for both the men's and women's sailboard.
Meanwhile, the Laser Radial will replace the Europe as the women's single-handed dinghy.
Olympic Greats
All-time great: Paul Elvstrom
Alongside Carl Lewis and Al Oerter (in the long jump and discus respectively) Paul Elvstrom is the only Olympian to win four consecutive gold medals (in 1948, '52, '56, '60).
The Dane, who turned 80 earlier this year, competed in a total of eight Olympic Games between 1948 and 1988.
He won 15 World Championships in eight different types of boat and also pioneered the development of both sailing equipment and techniques, including that of sitting outside a dinghy - known as 'hiking'.
However, Torben Grael holds the record for the most sailing medals, the Brazilian winning five - including two golds - between 1984 and 2004.
Best Of British
Athens gold (l to r): Sarah Ayton, Shirley Robertson, Sarah Webb
Britain's sailors look set to dominate once again in Beijing having topped the medal count in the discipline at the last two Games.
Sailing has traditionally been a rich source of medals for Team GB at the summer games, ranking third, in terms of gold, behind athletics and rowing as the country's most successful Olympic event.
That point was emphasised at Sydney in 2000, when Britain claimed three gold and two silver medals, and again at Athens four years ago, when they returned home with two gold, one silver and two bronze.
The gold medals in Greece came in the Finn and Yngling classes and both events look likely to be dominated once again by Team GB.
Ones To Watch
Rave reviews: Ben Ainslie
A winner of silver as a 19-year-old in 1996 and gold in 2000 in the men's Laser category, Ben Ainslie made a successful switch to the Finn class in Athens and is a clear favourite to win his third consecutive Olympic gold.
In the Yngling class, Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb are strong contenders for a second successive gold after winning at Athens in a boat skippered by Shirley Robertson.
The two Sarahs formed their own team in 2005 and, with former world youth champion Pippa Wilson also on board, the 'Yngling Girls' have since won consecutive world championships and also captured the European title.
Team GB
Ben Ainslie - Single-handed Dinghy (Finn)
Sarah Ayton - Keelboat (Yngling)
Christina Bassadone - 470
Penny Clark - Laser Radial
Saskia Clark - 470
Nick Dempsey - RS:X (Windsurfing)
Jonathan (Joe) Glanfield - 470
Paul Goodison - Team/Single-handed Dinghy (Laser)
Will Howden - Tornado (Multihull)
Leigh McMillan - Tornado(Multihull)
Stevie Morrison - 49er
Iain Percy - Keelboat (Star)
Ben Rhodes - 49er
Nick Rogers - 470
Bryony Shaw - RS:X (Windsurfing)
Andrew Simpson - Keelboat (Star)
Sarah Webb - Keelboat (Yngling)
Pippa Wilson - Keelboat (Yngling)
Medal Hope: Ben Ainslie
