They create inequality across the lanes. Sailing abandoned The news is little better for the sailing contingent. Tuesday's practice session at Sydney harbour came to an abrupt halt when winds gusting to 35 knots whipped the waters into a frenzy and caused a spate of capsizes. Quite simply, if the conditions continue, it will be too windy to compete. Sydney's yachting events could be delayed Early indications are that the first day of Olympic competition on Sunday might be blown away by winds gusting to 25 knots or more, the strength considered to be the upper limit for the four classes that are scheduled to race.
Most classes have only two reserve days in their six day programmes.
If they are used and the strong winds continue to blow, organisers will be forced to reduce the number of races required to get a medal result. The system is unlikely to help the track athletes, however, who will have to compete with the winds, come what may. Gusty track Head coach of the United States sprint team, John Chaplin, has already questioned the decision to hold a track event in a stadium unsuitable for athletics, and admitted he has already devised a strategy to combat the winds. To me that is a serious flaw. They have taken out what we'd call the end zones.