Medal Race analysis

We take a look at how the new Medal Race format affected results at the Olympics this year

The first Medal Races in sailing of any Olympics have taken place this week in Qingdao and there has already been much discussion about whether theyr were a success or not.

When the idea of a final race was first mooted, the concept behind it was clear. Obviously sailing is not popular enough with the media for the full regatta of each class to be covered in any in-depth way. It was quickly realised sailing needed to provide a focal point for each class that the media and spectators could latch onto, giving sailing a chance of being easier to understand and gaining more coverage. As the final race would (hopefully) be covered extensively it was decided this race should have significant bearing on the final result, so the audience felt they were watching an exciting finale as opposed to the round-up of a competition that was all but decided, but which they had been unable to follow.

Early on many different ideas were put on the table and a variety of them tried out. These ranged from the extreme to the slightly more cautious. One idea experimented with a great deal was a very aggressive format where the entire competition was based on the final race. Ideas in this vein varied from sailing laps of a short course with the last competitor being pulled out on each lap to a more simple, single, winner-takes-allregular format race.

Clearly there was always going to be a great deal of controversy surrounding whatever choice was made, as we sailors can be a little precious about our racing format. However, in the end the current Medal Race was selected more than anything because it was a compromise.


Above: Wilmot and Page winners before the final.

Theoretically, the sailors should be happy as the week’s scores are taken into account and the race is not the be all and end all. In addition the media should be happy as the medal race is designed to present a short snappy race that in theory is easierto film and cover with just ten boats out on the course. In addition, having the race count for double points meant we should be more likely to see the winner of the race become the winner of the event.

However, since the Medal Race format has been brought into play there has been much debate about its success, culminating this week as the double points system was put through its first Olympic test.

Clearly on many levels the format has delivered, but equally there have been areas where it has not produced the sailing anticipated by organisers. Obviously coverage depends on where you live and the schedules of your respective television rights holders, however, here in Britain it has been fantastic watching the final race of every class.

The races have certainly produced some exciting moments. Few could forget the, frankly, awesome 49er Medal Race or Iain Percy and Bart Simpson taking gold in the Star. Although the gold was already tied up in the Men’s 470, the fight for Silver was a genuine nail biter. Meanwhile, Tunnicliffe coming from behind to win the Radials was another genuinely exciting final. Watching the text commentary on the BBC website here in the UK, there have been numerous texts sent in by non-sailors commenting that they never though they would be excited by Olympic sailing. One person even wrote in to say they were peeking out from behind their sofa in the final of the Star, unable to bring themselves to watch the last run. Clearly, then, excitement has been there.

However, as much as there have been comments about the excitement there have also been many unfamiliar with the sport that feel the match racing tactics of some winners, such as Goodison (below) racing Myrgren out of the Medals, are unfair. Obviously for those who sail this is seen as a legitimate technique and one requiring a lot of skill. For those who do not know the sport, though, reactions seem to range from confusion to genuine outrage. Clearly somehow this aspect of the sport needs to be addressed, whether it be through education or making match racing a less likely outcome in the Medal Racing or simply banning it



This is one of the areas where the double points system in the Medal Race has not done as expected. With the leaders having more chance of losing their medals, they are forced to sail in a much more aggressive manner, meaning we have seen more match racing than we might have otherwise. To some extent this is also a product of the venue being very tricky and sailors not being able to leave anything to chance. However, the double point format has certainly played its part. Unfortunately, we have also seen sailors on the receiving end of match racing tactics drop out of the Medals altogether.

Looking at the overall results and comparing them to how the results would be if the race was not a double pointer (see table below) makes for a very telling story. Significantly, were the Medal Race not double points, it would not affect a single Gold Medal result of the 2008 Games, with all the leaders still leading despite halving their Medal Race scores. The Silver Medal would have been different in three classes (470 Men, 49er and Star) and The Bronze would have seen six differences (Star, RS:X Men, Laser, 49er, 470 Men and Finn). In all, of the 33 available Medals, just nine were affected by the double point format. Finally, five of the 11 competing classes would have seen no difference in any of their Medal positions.

It stands to reason, then, that the double points system rather than providing a race that will see the winner at the front of the fleet actually seems more likely to produce a race where the leader is busy trying to defend their lead from one or two potential contenders. Where the format is able to provide more excitement is back in the lower Medal positions where those with a smaller chance of a medal are able to take a punt on a corner and be rewarded – or not if it goes wrong – significantly more.

Unfortunately, this does not really make for a more exciting final. Of course, if it is your countryman or woman who is making the leap to bronze it is exciting but for the most part it does not seem to prove significantly more thrilling than if the Medal Race were scored normally. So what are the options?

1 – Keep the current Medal Race format and hope that a less fickle Weymouth in 2012 will produce more exciting finals.

2 – Keep most of the current Medal Race format – ten boats, short course etc – but go back to regular scoring.

3 – Change to a new format altogether, one that delivers the final race needed to keep sailing interesting at the Olympics.

It is hard to decide exactly which the best option is. The current format clearly can produce an exciting race but only if the circumstances are correct. However, it also seems to be able to produce much more clinical and confusing situations. Going back to a normal point system means we are less likely to see the exciting final that many would hope for but it would probably make very little difference to the scores anyway and we might see a ‘fairer’ regatta. Changing to a new format is a tempting option but the question must then be which to choose?

A winner-takes-all race has been widely criticised by those sailors who took part in the experiments and does not seem like a popular option. I have seen people suggest a pursuit race where points accumulated throughout the week translate into a timed advantage at the start. I find this an interesting idea with a few issues. Firstly there is the problem of just how much time should a point translate to and should that vary from class to class and throughout different weather conditions - a 20 second lead in a Yngling in five knots is very different to a 20 second lead in a 49er in 18 knots. Secondly as we all know, leading out of the start is the best and easiest way to win a race, this format would make it all but impossible to beat the leader of a series in the final race – though this is perhaps a good thing with the winner almost always being the series leader going into the race.

One thing that seems certain after all this is that any format selected needs to be well thought through and, more importantly, used a great deal before it is introduced to the Olympic scene where races are televised and winning means everything. Perhaps if we want to get the format right at the next Olympics, sailors will have to accept that over the next few years, a variety of different finale races will be held, and most of them will be wrong or unfair. It makes sense in the long run but whether sailors would agree to this is another matter.

Was the Medal Race format successful this year? Does it need changing? Send your thoughts to batmail@thedailysail.com.

Medal Race Results:

Finn	Penultimate Points	Medal Race Pos	Double points	Normal points	Double Points Pos	Normal Pos	Change?
GBR	21	1	23	22	1	1	Gold - No
USA	33	6	45	39	2	2	Silver - No
SWE	44	7	58	51	4	3
CAN	51	8	67	58	5	5
FRA	54	4	58	58	3	4	Bronze - Yes
Yngling
GBR	22	1	24	23	1	1	Gold - No
NED	23	4	31	27	2	2	Silver - No
GRE	42	3	48	45	3	3	Bronze - No
USA	43	9	61	52	7	6
RUS	46	5	56	51	6	5
470M
AUS	42	1	44	43	1	1	Gold - No
NED	64	7	78	71	4	2
FRA	66	6	78	72	3	4	Bronze - Yes
GBR	69	3	75	72	2	3	Silver - Yes
ESP	79	4	87	83	5	6
470W
AUS	25	9	43	34	1	1	Gold - No
NED	43	5	53	48	2	2	Silver - No
BRA	58	1	60	59	3	3	Bronze - No
ISR	62	2	66	64	4	4
CZE	69	7	83	76	7	6
49er
DEN	47	7	61	54	1	1	Gold - No
ITA	58	4	66	62	4	2
AUS	61	6	73	67	5	5
ESP	62	1	64	63	2	3	Silver - Yes
GER	62	2	66	64	3	4	Bronze - Yes
Laser
GBR	45	9	63	54	1	1	Gold - No
SWE	63	10	83	73	6	5
POR	66	5	76	71	4	3
SLO	67	2	71	69	2	2	Silver - No
ITA	69	3	75	72	3	4	Bronze - Yes
Radial
USA	33	2	37	35	1	1	Gold - No
LTU	40	1	42	41	2	2	Silver - No
CHN	44	3	50	47	3	3	Bronze - No
AUS	54	4	62	58	4	4
FRA	61	8	77	69	5	5
RSX M
FRA	45	4	53	49	2	2	Silver - No
GBR	46	7	60	53	4	3
NZL	46	3	52	49	1	1	Gold - No
ISR	54	2	58	56	3	4	Bronze - Yes
BRA	65	6	77	71	5	5
RSX W
CHN	33	3	39	36	1	1	Gold - No
ITA	38	1	40	39	2	2	Silver - No
GBR	41	2	45	43	3	3	Bronze - No
AUS	46	10	66	56	5	5
ESP	46	4	54	50	4	4
Star
SWE	33	10	53	43	3	2	Silver - Yes
GBR	35	5	45	40	1	1	Gold - No
BRA	47	3	53	50	2	3	Bronze - Yes
FRA	51	9	69	60	6	6
SUI	55	2	59	57	5	4
Tornado
ESP	36	4	44	40	1	1	Gold - No
AUS	39	5	49	44	2	2	Silver - No
ARG	44	6	56	50	3	3	Bronze - No
GER	52	11 (DNF)	74	63	8	6
CAN	57	2	61	59	4	4
							Total Change
							Gold - 0
							Silver - 3
							Bronze - 6