Aussie sailing team chases Olympic spots at worlds

A 51-strong Australian sailing team will head to the Netherlands for the world championships, which are also the first opportunity to nail Olympic quota spots.

The Australian sailing team will target 10 Olympic classes as part of a world championships campaign in the Netherlands next month.

Sailing Australia has named a 51-strong squad to head to The Hague for the championships, which run from August 11-20.

It's the first opportunity for competing nations to secure quota spots for next year's Olympics in Paris.

There are also 10 world titles on the line in the first combined sailing world championships since 2018, with 900 boats and 1400 participants from over 90 nations competing.

"Our team is incredibly excited and well prepared for the worlds," Australian Sailing team high performance director Iain Brambell said.

"We've had some great results throughout the 2023 season, which has the team in an excellent position for success in The Hague.

"We have built our preparation around the opportunity to win world titles and ensure Australia achieves 2024 Olympic qualification across as many classes as possible at this initial Olympic qualifier."

With multiple entries per nation allowed at the world championships, sailors who finish in the top 10 can only secure one quota spot for their country.

The team will again be led by Matt Wearn, with the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist returning to form with a win at the recent Olympic test event in France.

"I am really looking forward to the worlds; it has been a number of years since I have had the chance to compete at the combined event so it's exciting to have that opportunity again," Wearn said.

"With the Hague being on the North Sea it offers some different conditions to what we normally race in in Europe with the tidal flow being the biggest challenge.

"If you get the tide moving in a different direction to the wind it can make for some extremely tough racing."

For the first time four Para sailing world championships events will be held alongside their Olympic counterparts in The Hague and Australia have Alison Weatherly (Women's Hansa 303) and Peter Coleman (Men's Hansa 303) competing.

AUSTRALIAN SAILING TEAM FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Samantha Costin, Grae Morris, Harry Joyner, Jack Marquardt, Zoe Thomson, Matt Wearn, Elyse Ainsworth, Finn Alexander, Casey Imeneo, Luke Elliott, Mara Stranksy, Zac Littlewood, Evie Saunders, Ethan McAullay, Sylvie Stannage, Laura Harding, Annie Wilmot, Jim Colley, Shaun Conor, Olivia Price, Evie Haseldine, Tom Burton, Max Paul, Natasha Bryant, Madeleine McLeay, Thomas Needham, Joel Turner, Mina Ferguson, Dervla Duggan, Thomas Cunich, Miles Davey, Breiana Whitehead, Nia Jerwood, Conor Nicholas, Sophie Jackson, Angus Higgins, Hector Paturau, Lisa Darmanin, Darren Bundock, Scott Whitehead, Jake Liddell, Lucy Copeland, Oscar Timm, Archie Gargett, Sarah Hoffman, Brin Liddell, Rhiannan Brown, Ruben Booth, Rita Booth, Peter Coleman, Alison Weatherly.