Many sailors and their families enjoy the personal reward of volunteering at their clubs’ events, and the Olympic Sailing Competition at Brisbane 2032 is possibly the biggest opportunity of all.

Being involved with the Olympics is an experience of a lifetime. Brisbane 2032 offers a wonderful opportunity for people who want to get involved with the highest level of sailing. Just like the athletes, coaches, and race officials from all corners of the world come together to do their best, 

There are all sorts of roles required to make sailing at Brisbane 2032 successful. Skippering ribs, managing the boats on shore, working in the measuring tents, being on the international jury, or the race management team. Some jobs are prominent and carry great responsibility, while others simply help out quietly behind the scenes. Importantly, for the event to succeed, everyone needs to know and perform well at their job in their team.

People with an interest in volunteering for the sailing competition should give this some thought. What would be needed to be part of it? It is expected that hundreds of people will be involved. In all cases, the volunteers and technical officials will need to have what it takes.

What it takes is interest in how large sailing events are run on and off the water, the ability to work in a team and ‘do your job’, being able to read the play knowing what will happen next, technical skills in the given area, and credibility and experience with the classes being sailed.

Not everyone will be on the international jury, or be a course race officer or an equipment inspector Indeed very few are appointed to those roles, and the appointments are distributed across officials from around the world. But that’s the fun of it. There is a melting pot of expertise and experience from all over the world. Not just at Brisbane 2032, but on the way there over the coming years.

The way to being a high level technical official will expose keen and aspiring people to international events. There may be international travel to major events of Olympic classes and their feeder classes. You will attend clinics and seminars, which will be hosted by World Sailing instructors and have other attendees from almost anywhere in the world. You will meet the world as it comes to you, and as you go out there, to get your experience and skills.

Not everyone needs to do that though and the way there can be far less onerous. Knowing how to intuitively work with a race officer who wants to realign a trapezoid course will help get you there. Understanding the flow of measuring, registering, and checking equipment will place you in a good position. Knowing the difference between the forms used for a scoring enquiry or request for redress is very useful! All these things are based on getting some experience, and education, and being enthusiastic. To get started, ask for a chance to help out at your club.

For information about Brisbane 2032 click here 
To find out about becoming a race official click here  
For World Sailing and international race officials click here 

By Glen Stanaway