Celebrate Rio 2016 with the RYA Sail for Gold Roadshow
by Susie Nation-Grainger, RYA 18 Jun 2016 17:00 BST
14-18 August 2016
RYA Sail for Gold Roadshow © Jesus Renedo
To celebrate the 2016 Games this summer, the RYA will be hitting the road during the Olympic sailing medal race week to bring you the RYA Sail for Gold Roadshow.
Launched yesterday (12 June) at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) by members of the British Sailing Team, the Roadshow will visit venues across the UK which have a special connection to our Olympic medal contenders.
At each event you can discover what it's like to go sailing with free taster sessions, watch the drama unfold with medal races shown on big screens and cheer on your local sailing heroes.
Members of the British Sailing Team will also be on hand at events with inside knowledge on all the action in Rio as well as advice on how you can get into sailing and maybe start your own Olympic journey.
The Roadshow will begin at the WPNSA on 14 August which is the Medal Race day for our windsurfing stars Bryony Shaw and Nick Dempsey. It will then travel across the UK, finishing with events in Glasgow and Rutland.
| Date | Venue | Medal R | Rio contenders |
|---|
| 14‑August | Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy | RS:X Men and RS:X Woman | Nick Dempsey & Bryony Shaw |
| 15‑August | Royal Lymington Yacht Club & Lymington Town Sailing Club | Laser and Laser Radial | Nick Thompson & Alison Young |
| 16‑August | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Finn & Nacra 17 | Giles Scott, Ben Saxton & Nicola Groves |
| 17‑August | Cardiff Bay Yacht Club | 470 women & 470 men | Hannah Mills & Saskia Clark, Luke Patience & Chris Grube |
| 18‑August | Rutland Water Sailing Club | 49er & 49erFX | Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign, Charlotte Dobson & Sophie Ainsworth |
| 17/18 August | Yorkhill Quay, Glasgow | 470 men & 49erFX | Luke Patience and Chris Grube, Charlotte Dobson & Sophie Ainsworth |
"The Roadshow is a fantastic way to bring all the excitement of the Games into our home clubs and it will mean so much when we're out in Rio to know everyone will be at home supporting us" said Olympic Silver Medallist Saskia Clark. "It will also be great to see the Games inspiring people to get on the water and have a go for themselves".
RYA Sport Development Manager Duncan Truswell said: "We're delighted to be able to support our athletes as they go for gold in Rio. Each of these events will be a fantastic opportunity for locals to come down and get afloat during what will be a fantastic summer of sailing and find out why sailing can be so much fun at all levels. We'd like to thank each of the sailing venues that have played significant roles during the sailors' journeys and have helped make these events possible. We hope to see everybody turn out to cheer our sailors home."
There'll be more information to come on how you can support the British Sailing Team competing in the Paralympic Games this September.
For more information visit www.rya.org.uk/roadshow