SEE EVENT SUMMARY AND HISTORIC UPDATES FURTHER DOWN PAGE

The World Sailing website has extensive information and documents on COVID-19 and risk assessement advice herewww.sailing.org/medical


15 February

The dates for the European Championship have been changed to 9-16 April. More here: http://2021.finneuropeans.org/2021/02/15/dates-changed-to-10-16-april/

8 February

Europeans/SOF – Hyeres
Please be aware of a potential schedule change. Discussions are ongoing to split Hyères into four consecutive weeks to limit sailors on site to 250 at any one time to meet the stringent COVID protocols in France. The other option was strict quota, and with many classes using this event as either an Olympic qualification event or a National selection event, that was always going to be difficult. New dates are likely to be sometime between 4 and 24 April. A decision will be made around February 15th. 

Also note there will be a strict COVD protocol involving pre-testing. 

Please keep an eye on the SOF site for updates and we’ll bring you the latest as soon as we know it.

https://evenements.ffvoile.fr/sof2021gbr/covid-information.aspx

Entry is currently closed but will reopen again on February 15.

In addition, while the OA is doing everything possible to make sure the event happens, a final decision on whether to go ahead or cancel will be made around the end of February or early March latest.

Finn Gold Cup – Porto
There is encouraging news from Portugal. The 470 Worlds in Vilamoura is expected to go ahead in March, with a decision imminent. The news from Porto is also very positive with the event being given the ‘green light’ by local authorities after meetings between the OA and the local health crisis managers.

A training regatta is planned sometime before the Finn Gold Cup, but the scheduling depends on the outcome of the decision about the Europeans.

The latest update from the Portuguese authorities is expected on February 13.
 
Finn Silver Cup – Tihany
The website is up and running at 2021.finnsilvercup.org. The Notice of Race has been published and entry is open.

Finn World Masters - Medemblik
At the latest during the first half of April 2021, the organizing committee of the FWM2021 will take a decision, in close consultation with the IFA Masters, whether the FWM2021 in Medemblik will go ahead. Since there is no possibility to postpone the FWM2021 to a date later in the year, the decision shall be a Go / No-Go decision. Updates here: https://fwm2021.com
 
Olympic Games
For those heading to Tokyo the IOC has published a series of ‘Playbooks’ on COVID  regulations and guidelines to ensure a safe Games. These can be found here: https://www.olympic.org/tokyo-2020-playbooks


31 January - The 51 Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia has been postponed to 2nd to 9th October 2021 due to COVID-19. More info

UPDATE JANUARY 26 2021

HERE WE GO AGAIN...

If you have a feeling of déjà vu from this time last year you are not alone. 

While we are planning for our events as normal, they certainly won’t be normal events and there may be late changes. As always, IFA is talking with the event organisers and closely monitoring the situation. Everyone has learned a huge amount over the past year and please be assured that if the events are possible, then they will take place.
 
Europeans – 2021.finneuropeans.org

Entry is open and you will be taken to the SOF website to register. 

SOF is in the process of requesting special government approval for the event similar to how the Vendée Globe was managed last November. While this is no guarantee of the event taking place, this allows it to be managed by the Federal government overriding local authorities. 

On the website, there is a special page for COVID-19 information, which will be updated every 15 days: https://evenements.ffvoile.fr/sof2021gbr/covid-information.aspx

Reminder NOR 4.5:
Refund due to COVID-19
100% of the registration fee will be refunded in the following situations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Cancellation of the regatta due to a decision from the French Government
- In the event that a registered competitor or coach cannot attend the competition due to health and safety measures applied by her/his region or country that affect mobility or travel to France for the regatta

There will be no gatherings during the event (no opening ceremony nor a closing ceremony, etc.) and all official announcements will be made through WhatsApp chat or video conference calls
 
Finn Gold Cup – 2021.finngoldcup.org

Entry was opened last week with the Notice of Race also on the website. Again a full refund process is in place should it be necessary to cancel.

This will be the European and African Continental Qualifier for the final two places in Tokyo. However, it needs to be fully open to Europe/Africa to count as the qualifier.

COVID-19 updates will be posted here: http://2021.finngoldcup.org/covid/

While Portugal has a high number of cases right now, the venue is still able to hold championships.  There is no immediate cause for concern in terms of the ability to run the event.
 
We’ve all been here before, so you know the drill. Keep yourselves updated, check the event website for updates, and we will give everyone as much notice as possible if anything changes.


Latest Updates - 18 August 2020

The 2020 Finn Gold Cup has been cancelled


It is with great regret and sadness that the International Finn Association has decided to cancel the 2020 Finn Gold Cup, due to be held in Palma in October, after it was rescheduled from the original dates back in May.

The class policy has been to wait as long as possible before making a decision, but in order to provide adequate time for planning, booking and, for some sailors, time to quarantine, the class decided that a decision must be made by August 21. Unfortunately the situation in Spain and other parts of Europe means that an increasing number of sailors will be affected by travel restrictions in Spain and at home.

IFA President Balazs Hajdu said, “It is very unfortunate that we are having to cancel the Finn Gold Cup. We have monitored the situation weekly and hoped against hope that conditions would be favourable to hold our world championship, but increasing restrictions, and a generally worsening situation across Europe, means that we no longer think the event is either feasible or fair. As well as the safety considerations, there would be too many absent sailors and nations and this would devalue the competition, so we have taken the tough decision to cancel.”

IFA would like to thank CN Arenal for the constructive and flexible relationship over the past year to try and make this event work, but unfortunately options and time have now run out.

However, it’s not all bad news as CN Arenal is exploring the possibility of holding a regatta over the same dates for those than can make it to Palma. More details will follow as soon as possible.


August 10, 2020

Since March this year the IFA Executive has closely monitored the situation regarding our events and COVID-19. As events were postponed, IFA looked for ways to reschedule, waiting as long as was practical and possible before making a final decision. This update will most likely be the final update as we reach decision point for our major championships. IFA’s goal has always been to run the events

The Executive Committee is also very aware of the current situation with increasing cases of COVID-19 in many countries. IFA’s policy so far has been to wait as long as practically possible to make a decision in the knowledge that everything changes very fast.

In addition, the local information we have received so far would indicate that all venues are safe, and with a correct and properly observed COVID plan in place, should be safe for sailors and organisers. A detailed COVID-19 safety plan will be published for each event.

We are also conscious that many sailors want a definite decision on events in time to allow for proper planning. With so much uncertainty, this is a hard call. The only certainty IFA can offer is to cancel all events, which we do not want to do. But at some point that could be the only option.

Therefore we have made the following decisions.

Silver Cup, Canet en Roussillon, France
15-21 August
The is going ahead as planned from next weekend. There are 19 entries to date.

European and European Masters Championship, Gdynia, Poland
30 Aug – 6 September
If the current COVID situation in the larger part of Europe stays as it is today, then we expect that both events will go ahead as planned. Today the OA is starting its final preparations for us.
The situation will be continually reviewed to see if there are any changes that will affect that decision. By August 14 we will also review the entries and make a decision on whether to combine the fleets or run two events.
If the situation in Poland and elsewhere is such that the IFA Executive considers the risk is too high, then the European titles will be withdrawn and an alternative prize will be offered for those than wish, or are able, to attend. However, at the moment we don’t see the need for that to happen.
Please note the early entry fee deadline has already been extended until August 14 at the lower entry fee rate. So far there are around 70 entries across both events, so it would be good to see a few more. We know a lot of sailors are waiting for this update to make a decision.

Finn Gold Cup, Palma, Spain
2-10 October
For the World Championship, the criteria are different. While safety is of course the paramount concern, if, in the opinion of the IFA Executive, too many nations are excluded from taking part due to quarantine or travel restrictions then the Finn Gold Cup will be withdrawn and the class will offer the 2020 OPEN FINN CUP to those sailors who wish to sail the event. This decision will be taken by August 21 at the latest.
The decision whether to go ahead or to cancel the event will then lie with the OA in Arenal.
Considering the current situation and current travel restrictions, if there is no improvement as it stands today, August 10, the Finn Gold Cup will be withdrawn.

PLEASE BE AWARE that all of the above plans are entirely dependent on the national and local conditions at the time of the event. IFA will react to any developments as soon as possible.


July 31, 2020

Dear National secretaries and sailors,
 
Below is the latest information we have on events this year as well as some advance dates for 2021. Many of you have been asking questions about the upcoming events, so I hope this answers most of them. If anyone has any further queries about any of the below please direct them to office (at) finnclass.org
 
2020 EVENTS

2020 Silver Cup – Canet en Roussillon – 15-21 August
So far there are 18 entries with a few more expected.
Event website: 2020.finnsilvercup.org
 
2020 Europeans and European Masters – Gdynia – 30 August-6 September
The initial entry deadline of July 30 has been extended to August 14. Entries have been slow coming in but we know there are a lot of people watching the entry list, while also concerned about the general situation in Europe and increased travel restrictions. Hence the extension. We hope by August 14, the situation will become clearer one way or the other.
Event website: 2020.finneuropeans.org
 
2020 Finn Gold Cup – Palma – 2-10 October
There is still two months to this event and a lot can change in that time. Currently it is going ahead as planned. At the current time everything is more or less normal in Palma, with sailing and regattas taking place, but with appropriate COVID-19 precautions. Of course, we are regularly reviewing the situation, especially with regard to any new travel restrictions.

The updated Notice of Race (similar for the Europeans as well) includes a proviso:
“The Organising Authority reserves the right to withdraw the Finn Gold Cup and the World Championship title if, in its opinion, there are travel restrictions unduly affecting fairness and the ability of competitors to attend. In this case, an alternative prize will be presented.”

The amended Notice of Race has also been published. Entry has been reopened.
Event website: 2020.finngoldcup.org
 
General situation
The Executive has received many opinions (and thanks to all those that replied with feedback) on whether the Finn Gold Cup or the Europeans should proceed, given that some of our members are unable to take part due to travel restrictions either to get out of their home countries, or to get into the EU. The overwhelming feedback received from sailors and national class associations was that the titles should be awarded if possible and that even though some sailors could not make it, this should not be a reason to withdraw. The titles should only be withdrawn if a significant number of sailors were unable to take part and substantially devalue the competition. 

At the moment, only a handful of nations and sailors are affected, so the current intention is to proceed with all championships and award all titles. IFA’s priority, other than safety for organisers and competitors, is to run the events.
 
2021 EVENTS

We have recently confirmed the following:

2021 European Championship – Hyères, France – 19-23 April
This will take place during the Semaine Olympique Français.

2021 Finn Gold Cup – Porto, Portugal – 4-12 May
This is expected to be the final European and African qualifier for Tokyo 2020. It has been confirmed by World Sailing, while IOC approval is expected shortly.


 

June 26

Please find below an update on expected planning for events this year. We hope to finalise race documents and final details in the next week to 10 days. Of course the planning is open to change if the situation in Europe and worldwide regresses over the next few months.
 
U23 World Championship – Finn Silver Cup
Because of the delay to the Olympics, it was decided to run a separate Silver Cup this year. This is scheduled to take place from 15-21 August in Canet de Roussillon, near Perpignan in France.

The Notice of Race and Entry Form are now online here: 2020.finnsilvercup.org.
Limited charter boats are available through Paul McKenzie.
 
European Championship/Europeans Masters
Further to a call between the IFA and the Polish Yachting Association on June 26, details are being finalised and we expect to launch online entry and publish Notices of Race next week.

The event website is 2020.finneuropeans.org but entry will be through the PYA’s portal. The events will run from August 30 to September 6 with five days of racing.

The European Championship and Europeans Masters are being aligned to have the same format and scoring. Given the interest so far, we hope that entry numbers will justify running both events separately, but in the interests of securing a good event and financial security for the PYA, there is an option to combine the events if needed. 
 
Finn Gold Cup
There was also a call with CN Arenal this week. The situation is Palma is the ‘new normal’ and plans are being put in place to publish the revised Notice of Race next week, or certainly within 10 days.

Online entry is being reopened with new deadlines for entry and payment.
The dates are 2-10 October. The event website is 2020.finngoldcup.org

Anyone who entered previously but wishes to cancel should contact Barbara on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a refund.
 
With all this there are provisos and exceptions. The Europeans and Gold Cup have clauses to remove the titles if the fairness of the event is compromised because of too many travel restrictions. More details of EU restrictions are expected next week and then we will have a clearer idea of what is happening. In either event, if the titles, and trophies, are withdrawn, an alternative prize will be awarded, as close as possible to the original intention. This decision will be taken as late as is practically possible.

Once the final details are announced, a full press release will be issued with all details and links.


May 23 2020

Finn Gold Cup 2020

Further to another call with CN Arenal this week, this is the latest situation.

The 2020 Finn Gold Cup in Mallorca is re-scheduled for 2-10 October with CN Arenal continuing as the host. The situation there continues to improve, though it is a long way from being ideal. Spain has various levels of restrictions being lifted and Mallorca is one of the first to enter into new phases as Covid-19 had less impact on the island than in other aeas of Spain.

All our rescheduled dates and events represent our best intentions as a class. By no means are these plans certain to happen as we all are completely dependent on the evolution of the global situation. Further calls will be made around mid-June, when organisers of all events will assess the latest developments on travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, if any, and any WS directives / instructions issued so far, together with the class. 

Further updates will be issued by the end of June.

 

May 20, 2020

2020 Finn European Championship

Further to an online meeting between the Polish Yachting Association, the Polish Finn Association and the International Finn Association, the 2020 Finn European Championship, scheduled from 3-11 July in Gdynia, Poland, has been postponed due to Covid-19.

It has been rescheduled for September to coincide with the Masters European Championship, also in Gdynia.

The revised schedule to combine the two events is as follows:

30 Aug to 1 Sept - Registration and Measurement

2-6 Sept - Racing (5 days, 10 fleet races scheduled)

It is intended that racing for the Seniors, U23 and Masters titles will take place in one fleet. If the number of entries is too high for one fleet, then the Organising Authority may use two course areas, or alternatively split the Seniors and Masters into separate fleets.

Further details will be published in the Notice of Race.

 

May 1, 2020

A number of key decisions have been made or are about to be made ahead of the AGM next week. So here is a summary of what is going on and what will be decided shortly.

With regard to the upcoming events we are working closely with all organisers to plan and make prudent decisions in good time. While I know many of you feel that the chance of any racing later this year is minimal, we are keeping options open for as long as possible. We are lucky that our regatta organisers only need a lead time of 4-6 weeks to make events happen, so we will probably run those down before cancelling.

If travel or quarantine restrictions mean that the essence of any championship would be devalued, but that some local and regional sailors could attend, then the IFA may withdraw the trophy and the title, but will encourage the organisers to run an event for those that can make it if that is practical, so that we get some racing in this year.

2020 European Championship - Gdynia, Poland
This remains under review. While some sailing is opening up in Poland, it is still a long way from being open enough to hold a regatta. A decision will be made on this mid May. If it is cancelled then it is highly likely that it will be moved to September to be combined with the European Masters. How this will work in practice has not yet been decided, but it is likely to run as a combined event.

2020 Silver Cup - U23 World Championship
This was initially planned to be part of the Gold Cup due to the need to get all events sailed before the Olympics. However following discussions with several U23 sailors most were keen for an individual event, provided it was safe and logistically possible. Therefore, assuming restrictions are lifted to allow events to take place, IFA intends to hold the Silver Cup in Canet/Perpignan, southern France. Three potential dates have been discussed in order of preference: Early August, Late August and Late September. The lead time for each will be about four weeks. As soon as a date is authorized and confirmed we will notify everyone.

2020 Finn Gold Cup, Palma, Spain
Provisional dates have been set for 2-10 October. Again a lot needs to happen before this can go ahead, but Spain is beginning to open up with some sailing now allowed. We will make the call on this as late as is practical, while also realising that everyone may not be able to get there. The decision whether to go ahead will largely be based on travel restrictions, and quarantines in place in Spain and the EU as we get closer.

World Masters
As you know the 2020 Finn World Masters in Port Zelande has been cancelled. It will not be rescheduled. Other changes are that in 2021, the original venue of Puntala has been postponed, at their request, to 2024, while it is hoped a new venue for 2021 will be announced in the next week or so. The Finn Masters who were entered for the 2020 championship will be invited to take part in the online Annual Masters Meeting, which will most likely just consist of a voting paper for the major decisions.

Final European/African Qualifier for Tokyo 2020
Discussions are ongoing to plan for the final qualifier with many options on the table. One line of thought is that it should be as early as possible should it be possible to hold events this year, however for the Finns it may be as late as possible. Some decisions may be taken in he coming weeks and we'll keep you all informed.

IFA Annual General Meeting
As mentioned before, voting papers will be sent to secretaries or their nominated representative on May 9. All the papers and the agenda are available on finnclass.org. It will be very short and simple to complete, and everyone will have an eight day window to respond.


SUMMARY OF EVENTS

EVENT  DATES DETAILS FURTHER INFORMATION
Olympic Games 28 July to 4 August Postponed New dates - 23 July to 8 August 2021. More here.
Finn Gold Cup 8-16 May Postponed Rescheduled to 2-10 October at CNA, Palma.
Finn Silver Cup (U23 WC) 15-21August 2020.finnsilvercup.org  
Europeans  3-11 July Postponed New dates Aug 30 to Sept 6
Finn World Masters 31 May to 5 June CANCELLED More here.
Finn European Masters 31 August to 5 September Changed New dates Aug 30 to Sept 6. Combined with EC.
       
Princesa Sofia Palma 27 March to 4 April CANCELLED  
Genoa SWC 13-19 May CANCELLED
Hyeres SOF 18-25 April CANCELLED  
Medemblik Regatta 19-23 May CANCELLED  
WCS Enoshima  14-21 June CANCELLED  More here.

 


April Update

While we understand the impact the COVID-19 virus is having on all our lives and sailing programmes, the IFA Executive is constantly monitoring the situation and trying to work within the extreme constraints that have fallen on us all. This page will be updated with the latest changes and news as they happen. See SUMMARY at bottom of page

We have the following updates for you:

• The 2020 Olympic Games has been postponed until 2021. As yet we do not have dates. See: https://www.olympic.org/news/joint-statement-from-the-international-olympic-committee-and-the-tokyo-2020-organising-committee

• The 2020 Finn Gold Cup, which was scheduled from 8-16 May, has been postponed. IFA is working closely with CNA in Mallorca to try to reschedule for early-mid October. Of course this is by no means certain to happen, and is completely dependent on the global situation at that point. A call will probably have to be made in July/August whether this is viable.

• Regarding the final continental qualifier, the latest news from World Sailing stated:
“In the short term, World Sailing will not hold Olympic qualification events for Africa, Asia or Europe. World Sailing is working with the IOC on an update to the qualification system where our recommendation will be to look at hosting qualifications events in late 2020 or early 2021.”
As soon as this is clarified, we will let you know.

• The 2020 European Championship in Gdynia from 3-11 July is under close review. A discussion was had with the organisers on Tuesday 24 March and the website has been updated (2020.finneuropeans.org). The situation will be reviewed again after Easter and if July is still looking uncertain, the event may combined with the Masters Europeans, which is scheduled to take place from 2-5 September.

• The new dates for Kiel Week for the Finn are provisionally 9-13 September.

• The Executive is looking at venues for the 2021 Europeans and Finn Gold Cup and has several venues interested. Most likely both events will be scheduled early enough before equipment is shipped to Tokyo. Other bids for these events are welcomed and will be accepted up to early May.

• It is intended to run the 2020 IFA AGM in two parts. There will be an online AGM around second week in May to cover the legal necessities such as general decisions, voting and approval of accounts. The Agenda for that will be published soon. A further EGM may be held at one of the events in the autumn to cover all other business and discussions.

• With the delay to the 2020 Olympics and the ‘continuation’ of the Finn as an Olympic class for at least one more year there are clearly a lot of questions that need answering and a lot of issues that need to be resolved. As yet we do not have the answers, but will let you know when we do. 

 

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