Medal Races - poor format?

Originally posted by nutonthetiller ...score which you carry in to the run. The first one over the line gets the gold

Its an interesting idea: score on total elapsed time rather than places, and make the last race a pursuit. The only concern is that the fastest would start first in the pursuit, so it might be a rather processional race - indeed Ben Ainslie might well finish before the last folks have started.

Tactics would change quite a lot if the races were on total elapsed time, not places - much less tacking to a safe covering position and that sort of thing.

The Whitbread round the world used to score like that but they abandoned it. I think the trouble was that after 6 or 7 legs people got so far ahead that it was almost game over. I think it would probably work best with no more than two or three race series so no-one could get that far ahead - like skiing events.

It would be an interesting thing to try for a club series or a one day event like the Tiger trophy... Bags I not be on the committee boat if there are 100 starters though!

Edited by JimC

Originally posted by laser4000 The problem it generates is that you then get Simmonds having to explaing "it doesn't matter if Perce/Bart finish in 5th provided they are ahead of the swedes they win gold"...which to us makes sense..to 'armchair fan' doesnt..

Maybe doesn't help make it thrilling, though I think most sports fans can cope with cumulative scores.

If we really 'have' to spoil our sport at its highest level by making it more TV friendly (and I really wonder if sailing can ever be that), then I think the earlier suggestion of a pursuit race is not a bad one. It's what they were doing in the final run in the Modern Decathlon, I noticed, and while one could argue forever about the correct separation between starts to allow for the previously accumulated points, the situation is clear for all and the excitement undeniable.

You'd need a big course, however, with minimal lapping and lots of angles to allow for windshifts. In fact I'd like to watch it, not as a medal-decider but as a bonus fun event, maybe. To add contention you could even add PY and mix the classes! But I'm going too far...

Originally posted by Medway Maniac Surely Nick Dempsey's fate shows the folly of a double-points medal race, and not (just) because he's a Brit. After a week's sailing, he was in line for a medal, but thanks to a farcically short medal race, shortened due to a wind shift, he missed out. Surely the event should be staged in such a way as to sort out the sailors in order of ability as fairly as possible, so that the best sailor wins the gold, the next best the silver and so forth? The double-points medal race introduces a chance factor (emphasizing one race's result just because it's the last) which tends to randomize the results in the name of 'spectacle'. Hardly appropriate given the effort the the competitors have put in over the four preceding years.

We all know what you're saying but you need to contrast that with the 'need' to make sailing TV friendly. The medal race seemed to be the best compromise at the time to valuing the series but then going for a 'final'

Yes there are more variabilities in sailing than virtually any other olympic sport, but if you turn on the tv and watcht the other sports they all have either heats, qualifying or knockout and then you have a 'winner takes all final' - .e.g. track and field, rowing, cycling etc etc..

The problem it generates is that you then get Simmonds having to explaing "it doesn't matter if Perce/Bart finish in 5th provided they are ahead of the swedes they win gold"...which to us makes sense..to 'armchair fan' doesnt..

Surely Nick Dempsey's fate shows the folly of a double-points medal race, and not (just) because he's a Brit.

After a week's sailing, he was in line for a medal, but thanks to a farcically short medal race, shortened due to a wind shift, he missed out.

Surely the event should be staged in such a way as to sort out the sailors in order of ability as fairly as possible, so that the best sailor wins the gold, the next best the silver and so forth?

The double-points medal race introduces a chance factor (emphasizing one race's result just because it's the last) which tends to randomize the results in the name of 'spectacle'. Hardly appropriate given the effort the the competitors have put in over the four preceding years.

Just read SA - and Chris249 post on the medal races, got me thinking so howabout this idea..

• Normal series one throwout.
• 2-9 place in the series go through to the knockout round. 1st place as a bye in the first knockout
  
• Knock out round rules - 15 minute races max..must have a reaching finish...
• Rnd 1 - last 4 get binned
• Rnd 2 - winner of series is automatically in this round, races against 4 others - Medals decided on placings.

Good for tv and avoids "Paul is in 9th place in the medal race and will gold if it stays like this". Gives some advantage to winning the series as it means you only have to beat 2 boats to win a medal. ok doensn't beneifit the guy/girl in 2nd but hey.

Don't think this will lengthen the regatta much either...

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Edited by laser4000