Medal Races - poor format?

The issue for me is if you come into the race in Silver well clear of Bronze but a threat to the sailor in Gold you'll be sc*%wed - can't see how that fits in with the Olympic ethos.

IMHO much better to take in a point for your postion at the end of the fleet races, then add a point for your position at the end of the medal race. Lowest score wins with draws decided by posisition before the medal race. 

    

I agree that the medal race and the double points system is flawed because it is too easy for someone to knock you right down the table, even if you have posted a consistent scoreline all week

Originally posted by Chew my RS How about a radical overhaul of the whole race format at the Olympics? I propose a knockout system rather than a points series. Start with, say, 32 teams. After Race 1 only the top 16 go through to Race 2. Then only the first 8 go through to Race 3. Then the top 4 go through to a medal race. Then those 4 fight it out. One team finishes distraught in 4th and the others relatively happy. It encourages winning the final race rather than covering a large lead gained in the previous 10 races and would provide more drama. It would also be easier to follow.

Might work as long as the races are in places with sensible wind!!!!!!!!!

maybe series for 4 races, drop 50% of the fleet (not probable that they would win a medal from that position anyway). 

Now, do we reset the points, or carry thru?

Now do we do 4 more races and drop 50% more? 

Means more organisation (less classes if we all have to start at 32 and we know how many problems that can cause!!!!)

 

 

Nonsense, Madison makes perfect sense, just don't lose concentration for a moment, it takes about 10 minutes to find the place again. And they are much better 'in the flesh' when you can see the big picture.
I digress...
I think we have learned that the medal races work, as long as there is wind. Finn (Attempt 2),  470, Yngling all gave perfectly good medal races which made sense within the concept.
When there was no wind Finn (Attempt 1), Laser,  then the concept fell a bit flat as the risk of getting stuck in a hole and losing touch meant the close cover sailing backwards down the fleet was the prime approach. This catapulted the Swede down to 6th from silver, although strangely the positions when the Finn medal race was abandoned would have left Railey in silver.
Without going into the precise details of why, the 49er race showed us what happens when all hell breaks loose. People are split over whether this was ultimately a good thing or a bad thing...

Originally posted by nutonthetiller rather boring meaningless race with the first boat sailing the second down the pan.

Surely that would a possible tactic regardless?