What is iQFOiL, the new Olympic sailing board replacing RS:X?

At Olympic Game titles Paris 2024, new occasions these types of as breaking will feature when some athletics will have revised formats and disciplines. To be unbeatable on what to count on at the following Online games, Olympics.com provides every thing you need to have to know about what is new at Paris 2024.

These days, we discuss about iQFOiL the new windsurfing board that will be made use of at Marseille Marina, the Olympic location for sailing at Paris 2024.

What is iQFOiL at Paris 2024?

iQFOiL is a structure of windsurfing where by the key big difference with the previous Olympic structure, RS:X, is that the daggerboard is replaced by a foil. So, as an alternative of floating, the board appears to fly many thanks to the use of hydrofoils connected to the bottom of the board that lift the board wholly out of the water at planing speeds.

Many thanks to this technological innovation, not only does the activity look even much more impressive but athletes go faster.

What was the old Olympic board, RS:X?

Due to the fact Beijing 2008 and till Tokyo 2020, the structure for windsurfing events at the Olympics was RS:X. The board featured a standard daggerboard, or keel, which balances the board, and employs the same sort of sail as the iQFOiL.

Two athletes who have mastered this structure are Netherlands’ Dorian van Rijsselberghe who has gained two Olympic titles, in London 2012 and Rio 2016, when Charline Picon from France won gold in Rio 2016 and silver in Tokyo 2020.

What are the primary variances among iQFOiL and RS:X, the outdated Olympic board?

The primary big difference among the new and previous Olympic board is that iQFOiL goes a whole lot faster than RSX, performs improved in lighter winds as the board is over the drinking water many thanks to the hydrofoil, no board resistance to the h2o enables a racer to just take a extra direct route to a mark. 

Foiling is also silent and smooth so is not so bodily pounding on the human body, but a increased degree of focus on balancing the board/hydrofoil is needed to accomplish the highest speeds.

On race start, iQFOiL straight away reaches a racing velocity of 25km/h while RS:X begins at around 5/kmh.

The board is broader and shorter on the iQFOiL, which can make it compact and agile.

As opposed to RS:X, iQ does not have a dagger board.

Athletes to look at in iQFOiL at Paris 2024

A lot of athletes from RS:X are switching to the new Olympic class and as for every past windsurfing situations at the Games, Netherlands is however a powerhouse in iQFOiL, in particular in the men’s party.

Luuc van Opzeeland gained bronze at the 2021 Entire world Championship, the initially version in this class, and silver in 2022. Compatriot Huig-Jan Tak claimed bronze in 2022, and they will the two be medal contenders at Paris 2024. Teammate Kiran Badloe, who in 2020 was the very first-ever European champion in the willpower ahead of turning into Olympic winner in RS:X a 12 months later on, will also be vying for Olympic honours.

Nicolas Goyard from France, the brother of Thomas Goyard, a silver medallist in RS:X at Tokyo 2020, gained the Environment Championships in 2021, the exact same 12 months he became European champion for the 1st time. He also bagged the title in 2022. Sebastian Kördel from Germany, who won the Worlds in 2022, will also be in the blend.

In the women’s event, French sailor Helene Noesmoen who was environment winner in 2021, is one to observe. The 29-year-old has also accomplished the European triple with titles in 2020, 2021 and 2022. She did not control to continue on this achievement at the 2022 Entire world Championships, wherever Italian Marta Maggetti won gold in advance of Daniela Peleg and Maya Morris, each from Israel.

Islay Watson from Good Britain has won two consecutive silver medals at the European Championships in 2020 and 2021, with compatriot Emma Wilson, a bronze medallist from Tokyo 2020 in RS:X, doing the same in 2022. Dutch athlete Lilian de Geus, a world winner in RS:X in 2019, took bronze the year just after at the 2020 European Championships in iQFOiL.

iQFOiL: Variety and figures on sizing and pace

• Sizing of an iQFOiL board: 220x95cm
• Measurement of an iQFOiL sail: adult males 9m² for males, 8m² for girls
• Common pace of iQFOiL: All-around 42 km/h (upwind 33km/h, downwind 54km/h)
• Max velocity of iQFOiL: All over 63km/h

As a comparison, under are the numbers for RS:X

• Dimensions of an RS:X board: 286x93cm
• Size of an RS:X sail: adult men 9.5m² for males, 8.5m² for women
• Typical speed of RS:X: About 10km/h
• Max speed of RS:X: Around 55/60km/h

How to qualify for iQFOiL at Paris 2024?

The 2023 Sailing Entire world Championships will be the initially Olympic qualifier for iQFOiL at Paris 2024. It will be held in The Hague, Netherlands, from 10-20 August 2023.

The 2023/2024 Continental qualification occasions (day TBC) will be the following Qualifying probabilities in advance of the 2024 Previous Prospect Regatta, from 18 to 27 April 2024 in Hyeres, France.

Get to know the full Qualification pathway for sailing at Paris 2024