Goodbye Laser, it will be called ILCA Dinghy. Will it be enough to save the place for the Olympics?

In Livorno just a day ago a national regatta was held with 400 sailors, they and several thousand enthusiasts around the world will have to get used to one thing, however: their boat will no longer be called Laser, but ILCA Dinghy with a whole new logo.

The reasons for this “boiling pot” we had told you HERE, but at stake is not only the dispute between the class association (ILCA) Laser and its historic manufacturer yard for Europe, accused of producing boats that did not meet the One Design criterion. At stake is the future of the Laser itself as an Olympic class, and the ILCA’s maneuvers should be read in the context of a quest for renewal especially of image to show to World Sailing, the international sailing federation. The bottom line is that the Laser, or rather the ILCA Dinghy, is at great risk for the Paris Olympics, from what has transpired from the Valencia trials (the sea trials to assess the possibility of a replacement with a new Olympic class), where the Laser was tested with a new rig with laminated mainsail and square top, and the candidate competitors to replace it, Melges 14, D-Zero, RS Aero proved competitive and credible.

The reality of the present will see the Australian manufacturer, Sailcraft Australia, increasing its production, and so will Performance Sailcraft Japan. Meanwhile under consideration will be a number of new builders. Will it be enough to eliminate Laser Performance Europe (and its unequal performance boats) to save the Olympic boat with the most practitioners in the world? We will know soon.