Please select your home edition
Edition
HKJ YY Leaderboard

Sailing is New Zealand's most successful Olympic Sport

by Virginia Stracey-Clitherow, Yachting New Zealand on 9 Oct 2000
Sailing is New Zealand's most successful Olympic Sport

"Yachting team can hold their heads high" says YNZ CEO
"Barbara Kendall and Aaron McIntosh's bronze medals at the Sydney Olympic Regatta
makes sailing New Zealand's most successful Olympic sport in the last two decades"
says Yachting New Zealand Chief Executive Simon Wickham.

Speaking after the yachting team returned home this week amidst a wave of criticism
aimed at the NZ Olympic team, Wickham is adamant that the yachting team can hold
their heads high.

"Of the eighteen sports in which NZ sent Olympic reps, sailing achieved eight of NZ's 20
best finishes across all sports, and half the medals" observes Wickham.

Ability to finish in the top ten of the world was a requirement of the Yachting New
Zealand Olympic Selection Policy. In the final count, New Zealand sailors in eight of the
11 sailing events finished within the top 10 of the Olympic fleets.

Wickham continues, "we will always hope to see every sailor return home with a medal
round their necks, but the Olympics is the toughest competition our sailors will ever
faced.

"Winning an Olympic sailing medal is not simply a case of achieving a personal best.
We'll always want a medal in each event and we set the qualification criteria in our sport
accordingly.

"There is no doubt that every member of the New Zealand yachting team went to Sydney
to win a medal. To suggest that they simply 'did not try hard enough' is an insult" he
says.

Adds Wickham, "the level of resources other countries had dedicated to their sailing
teams was staggering, and New Zealand sport needs to be aware of what our athletes
are up against."

NEW ZEALAND OLYMPIC SAILING - MEDAL FACTS

Sailing is the NZ's most successful Olympic sport in the last 20 years (since 1980):
Yachting 13 medals (including 4 gold)
Equestrian 9 medals
Canoeing 7 medals
Rowing 6 medals

Sailing is now NZ's 2nd most successful Olympic sport overall - NZ sailors have won 15
Olympic medals, including 6 gold since NZ was first represented in yachting in 1956.

Athletics leads the NZ medal table with 18 medals - all won between 1908 and 1976.

Related Articles

2025 Six Metre World Championship Day 1
Wind gods fail to deliver in Oyster Bay, NY Sadly day one of the 2025 Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club (SCYC) proved to be a non-starter as the wind failed to make an appearance.
Posted today at 12:51 am
Norfolk 14 Foot One Design Championships
Water Wag sailors from Dublin Bay invited over to join in Over the weekend of 13th/14th September 2025, our historic Norfolk Dinghies competed on Wroxham Broad for the 21st Anniversary Cup first presented in 1952. The Class had invited an Irish contingent, who sail Water Wags.
Posted on 22 Sep
Firefly open meeting at Dell Quay
With the infamous legendary Pie & Mash supper The Dell Quay Sailing Club Firefly Open 2025 was more than just a regatta — it was a two-day spectacle set against the magnificent backdrop of Chichester Harbour and underscored by Dell Quay's centenary year celebrations.
Posted on 22 Sep
EAORA Buckley Goblets - the last dash to Ostend
An East Coast favourite despite its reputation for attracting equinoctial gales The final event of the EAORA season was West Mersea YC's Buckley Goblets race on September 12. The trophy - a pair of crystal goblets - was presented to WMYC in 1968 by J.C. Buckley.
Posted on 22 Sep
WASZP GP at Parkstone
Lots of smiles, and visible improvement in the coached Green FLeet 32 WASZPs headed out from Parkstone Yacht Club for the inaugural GP on the WASZP racing calendar. Additionally, five sailors joined the Green Fleet, expertly coached by Ross Harvey, making it a buzzing weekend both on and off the water.
Posted on 22 Sep
Fireball Ulster Championship at Mullaghmore
Youth team triumph in difficult conditions David Evans and William Draper are the new Fireball Ulster Champions after four races at Mullaghmore Sailing Club over the weekend. At just 18 years of age their win represents a breakthrough for the growing number of talented youth sailors in the class.
Posted on 22 Sep
Sunset Salver at Fishers Green
A 22 race series starting way back in April Blake Newman retains the coveted FGSC sunset salver 2025. A 22 race series starting way back in April. A healthy mix different classes graced the start line over the 18 race series, most popular being the merlin class ten boats across the series.
Posted on 22 Sep
Bembridge SC Mid September Keelboat Racing
The offer of a third race was declined Saturday morning's strong wind forecast was sufficiently close to the actual conditions that racing was cancelled. As it was there were no Redwings and only one One-Design wanting to race so No 7 (Charles Abel Smith) went for a sail instead.
Posted on 22 Sep
52 Super Series Porto Cervo practice race
The loss of the last 'dress rehearsal' is something of a disappointment Although there was just enough breeze to execute a couple of meaningful practice starts, the breeze dropped away and thereafter proved insufficient to allow the planned two short official practice races to be sailed today off Porto Cervo.
Posted on 22 Sep
I.O.M Summer Series round 11 at Lincoln
Plenty of sunshine and some truly great racing Wow Plenty of smiles here for sure, what a fantastic day of racing, great top suit breeze, plenty of sunshine and some truly great racing, This was primarily a warm up for a few skippers who will be going to the last I.O.M Ranking race.
Posted on 22 Sep