TROIA PORTUGAL WOMEN’S MATCH CUP
Troia: Tuesday July 24th 2007
THE LESSONS OF TROIA
After this successful event, there can be no doubt that Women’s Match Racing has a place in the Olympic Regatta. It fulfils all the necessary criteria of the International Olympic Committee, particularly with regard to its suitability for television, and it is this that sets it apart. True the medium’s technology could be more sophisticated and eliminate the need for cameramen on the boats, but that is but detail.
Here is an Olympic discipline that could also help to reduce the numbers of athletes in the Games, but it would need pre-selection regattas so that there would be only six crews, each of four women, to represent a country – a total of 24 athletes in the proposed new total of 380 (a reduction of 20) for the 2012 Olympics at Weymouth.
It is spectator-friendly, as I found out in Troia, where I was able to watch the action from off the water and still be aware of the nuances of the sport. Add a giant screen, in the manner of the America’s Cup viewing areas, and the spectators would be more than content.
The idea is one to which the ISAF should give serious consideration at its upcoming Annual Conference in October when the events of the 2012 Games are decided. There has to be a big shake-up as the number of classes is to be reduced from 11 to ten, once again an IOC demand, and this could result in major change, one of which might see Women’s Match Racing in its proper place.
There were other lessons to be learned from the Troia event, not the least the scheduling of the races, which because of uncertainty in the weather (whenever can this be guaranteed?) almost resulted in the last race of the final being held after sunset, thereby bringing a different set of rules and regulations into play.
Considerable time was lost in swapping the skippers’ names on the mainsails ands however desirable this may be for television, a faster means of change must be found rather than dropping the mainsails to the deck each time. In addition, these were almost unreadable, even from close-up on the water. Surnames would be enough, and for them to be recognisable it might need some reduction on the size or number of sponsors’ logos on the mainsails.
Perhaps even better, the skippers’ names should be on the luff of the jibs in the style of the countries on America’s Cup boats. Add to that, spinnakers in the national colours (or even national flags) and the individual competitors become even more obvious to the spectator or television viewer.
The loss of valuable time also resulted in a rush to finish the racing and it ought to have been possible for a reasonable break between the semi-finals and the final. Sally Barkow was obviously more tired than her opponent, Jenny Axhede, for the major prize as she had been in a five-setter in her semi-final against Claire Leroy, while Axhede despatched Klaartje Zuiderbaan in three matches. A request for a short rest by Barkow was denied.
I have to question the necessity for the Principal Race Officer to attempt to organise the racing from a RIB. It is, after all, impossible for the conductor of an orchestra to carry out his task from anywhere but a central podium. It is the single centre of focus and a position from which the person in charge has a far better view, in this case, the committee boat.
Umpire calls were, as usual, faultless and it was interesting to hear (by VHF) the overlap calls of the wing umpires that would have left no doubts in the minds of those in the RIBs behind. Interesting too that some of those employed at Troia had also been present throughout the early summer in Valencia.
Bob Fisher
