Excited for the Olympics? It’s not just about watching doped-up Russian gymnasts twirl ribbons, you know. This year, we have 40 athletes headed down to Brazil to compete in nine different classes, sailing 12 days over the course of the Games, August 5 to 21, and the Paralympic Games, September 7 to 18. Here’s what you need to know.
Local Heroes
The list of sailors on the US Sailing Olympic Team reads more like a press release for the Rolex Yachstman of the Year award, that’s for sure. And while we want to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work that went into each and every campaign, we’re especially excited to watch Joe Morris (Annapolis) sail with Thomas Barrows in the 49er class.
And then next month, Annapolitan Dee Smith heads to Rio to find his place in the Paralympic Games, sailing in the 2.4mR.
The Fleets
Men’s events include the 470, the 49er, the Finn, Lasers, Nacra 17 multihulls, and RS:X windsurfers.
Women’s events include the 470, 49erFX, Laser Radial, Nacra 17 multihull, and RS:X windsurfers.
Paralympic keelboat fleets will include the 2.4mR, SKUD 18, and Sonars.
How to Watch
All told, there will be 6755 hours of programming for the Games. That’s roughly 356 hours of coverage per day for 19 days. If they ran it in its entirety, it would take 281 days to watch. If you want to catch some highlights and then all the sailing events, your best bet is a mix of both TV time and online streaming.
The Opening Ceremony is a great chance to see the athletes in their most relaxed ‘tudes. This airs Friday, August 5, despite the fact that competition starts on the third (women’s soccer). The Closing Ceremony happens Sunday, August 21, and both will be aired on NBC.
A few other channels will be carrying Olympic sports, such as Bravo (tennis), CNBC (multiple sports), MSNBC (multiple sports), USA (multiple sports), and the Golf Channel (still just golf).
While NBC does have an app you can download to watch all 6755 hours of Games coverage (NBC Sports in the app store, and it’s free), World Sailing also has a tracking app that it recently tested. The tracking app is freely available for devices with a seven inch or greater screen. Head to the app store and search for “Sailviewer 3D.” (iphone, android)
Schedule
Sailing events start August 8 at 12:05 p.m., with windsurfing, Laser, and Laser Radial events scheduled. Six days of racing precede five days of medal events, starting on Sunday, August 14 at noon. For a full listing of events scheduled, visit nbcolympics.com/live-stream-schedule/
Paralympic events begin on September 7 and end on the 17th. Events will again be broadcast on either of the two apps.
Barrows-Morris: facebook.com/barrows.morris/
Dee Smith: facebook.com/deesmithyachtracing/
US Sailing Team Sperry: facebook.com/USSailingTeam/
