Nacra17 sailing at Aquece Rio (Rio Test Event) starts Sunday 16 August

From 15 – 22 August all ten Olympic classes will compete in the Rio Test Event. The Nacra17 sailors will start their races on Sunday 16 August. The Nacra17 Class Association is proud to be one of the ten Olympic Classes which will participate in Rio.

Six race courses will be tested throughout the week, three outside of Guanabara Bay and three inside. Courses outside include Pai, Copacabana and Niteroi whilst the inside courses are Pão de Açúcar, Ponte and Escola Naval. All will be tested throughout the week by the ten Olympic sailing events. Click here to view the racing areas.

Program Nacra17
Nacra17 racing is scheduled to start on Sunday 16 August with the medal race concluding on Friday 21 August (and reserve day on Saturday). In the Nacra 17 fleet 19 teams will compete, including the World Champions Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA).

Total list of competitors:

Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA)
Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AUS)
Thomas Zajac and Tanja Frank (AUT)
Iker Martinez and Marina Lopez (ESP)
Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri (ITA)
Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning (NED)
Matias Buhler and Nathalie Brugger (SUI)
Santiago Lange and Cecilia Carranza Saroli (ARG)
Nicole van der Velden and Thijs Visser (ARU)
John Gimson and Hannah Diamond (GBR)
Jason Saunders and Gemma Jones (NZL)
Paul Kohlhoff and Carolina Werner (GER)
Lin Ea Cenholt and Christian Peter (DEN)
Luke Ramsay and Nikola Girke (CAN)
Samuel Albrecht and Isabel Swan (BRA)
Enrique Figueroa and Franchesca Valdes (PUR)
Pablo Defazio and Marina Foglia (URU)
Sarah Newberry & Matthew Whitehead (USA).

Getting to know Rio
All teams will compete hard on the water. But for all teams it’s very important to learn during this week the circumstances in Rio, wind, current, race course areas, race management procedures etc. Teams are approaching the 2015 Rio Test Event in different manners. There are some federations that are treating the event as a full examination of their teams potential, including evaluation of teams performances with selection consequences.  For other teams it is merely a test and an opportunity to learn about the location, fleet, and city.

The way how and when to select the teams participating Rio2016 is very difference country by country. Some countries already made the selection (e.g. NED) and some countries will use the coming results of the Rio Test Event, World Cup ranking, European Championships or World Championship in February.

Rio waters
The Test Event begins under a back drop of continuing controversy regarding pollution levels in the Rio waters.  The Rio 2016 officials prepared a press conference describing their extensive efforts and have been 100% open in their working on the situation, including having already cleaned up 8 of the 17 highest polluting sources to Guanabara Bay. However, the numbers are staggering with 25 meters cubed per second, so 25,000 liters of raw sewage entering Guanabara Bay each second currently.  Most disturbing is the three open sewer lines still draining into the Marina De Gloria, the small area where the sailors launch.  The construction is 50% complete on blocking that sewage for 2016 but that does not protect the sailors currently.

Shoes and showers
Sailors have been warned to wear shoes at all times and shower thoroughly and completely immediately after exiting the water due to the sewage situation in the marina. The locals are using bio remediation, which is basically introducing good bacteria to counter the bad bacteria from the sewage within the marina area.  However, the activity against bacteria does now counter the risk of viruses, covered by the AP two weeks ago.  Since the AP report, ISAF agreed to start testing for viruses but then changed their minds once they figured out theWorld Health Organisation does not have a complete standard. Breaking news now is that the World Health Organisation advised to continue testing, and ISAF will now have to decide how to approach the continuing issues. Also Nacra17 Class has spoken to ISAF their worries about the water quality and risk for sickness. The Nacra17 Class Association asks all teams to report sickness or other problems because of pollution.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Results will be available throughout the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015 on the ISAF Olympic website

Follow the event on ISAF’s social networks:
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USEFUL LINKS
* ISAF Olympic Website
* Entry List
* Racing Schedule
* Sailing Instructions
* Online Notice Board
* Race Areas