Brief History of Competitive Sailing for People with a Disability

The sport of sailing started to attract persons with disabilities in the 1980s. The first international Sailing tournament for athletes with a disability was held in Switzerland. Further tournaments were held in Germany, the Netherlands, and France.

The International Handicap Sailing Committee (IHSC) was established in 1988. The IHSC began to organize competitions and forums to promote sailing for persons with a disability. Two years later, in 1990, sailing debuted as an exhibition sport at the World Games for the Disabled.

In 1991, the International Sailing Federation recognized the IHSC; a little later the same year, the IHSC was renamed 'The International Foundation for Disabled Sailing’ (IFDS).

The first world Sailing championship for persons with a disability was held in Switzerland in 1991. The 1992 World Disabled Sailing Championship was held in Spain alongside (but not part of) the Barcelona Paralympics. It was followed by further world championships in 1993 (Marblehead, MA, USA) and 1994 (Rutland, UK).

Sailing appeared as an exhibition sport at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Accepted as a full medal sport for the 2000 Sydney Games, the Paralympic competition included events for the Sonar, crew of three, and for the 2.4 meter single-handed sailboat. For the 2008 Beijing Games, a two-person event will be added, using the Access UD-18.

Source: US Paralympics