All you need to know about India's journey in sailing at the Olympics

Four Indian sailors - Nethra Kumanan, Vishnu Saravanan, Ganapathy Chengappa, and Varun Thakkar - qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics during the Mussanah Open Sailing Championships, thus making it the nation’s strongest ever contingent at the Games. Meanwhile, Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian female sailor to get a berth at the mega-event.

Not only that, but the Chennai-based athlete also scripted history by making it to the show-piece event by winning an Olympic qualifying event, with all previous participants gaining entry by virtue of quotas not getting filled or moving up from the waiting list. Either way, this is going to be India’s most memorable outing as far as discipline is concerned.

Sailing as a sport in India has been negligible, leaving aside the popularity aspect, but as a fact, we have had as many as nine Olympians so far. While none of them managed to grab a medal or at least finish at a stone’s throw from a podium finish, the current lot might be able to better the record.

As the athletes gear up in full force for the Tokyo showdown, let us take a look at the history of sailing as a sport in India and at the Games:

Even though sailing as a sport was part of the first modern Olympics, back in 1896, the event in Athens was scrapped due to adverse weather conditions. However, since 1900,discipline has been omnipresent ever since, barring the 1904 St. Louis Games.

Great Britain has been the most successful nation in sailing at the Olympics, having won 28 Gold medals in total, followed by USA with 18 top honors and Norway, accumulating 17 top podium finishes. However, the USA has bagged the most medals with a count of 60.

India's history at sailing

As far as India is concerned, the first sailing race in the peninsula was recorded way back in February 1860, in Bombay. As time lapsed, the gradual popularity escalation meant India had four active sailing clubs before the British left India, in 1947 – spread across – Bombay (Mumbai), Madras (Chennai), Bangalore, Barrackpore and Nainital.

It took another 13 years for the the Yachting Association of India to start its operations, with them overseeing the whereabouts of sailing, windsurfing and motor-boating in India.

Subsequently, India’s first National Sailing School (NSS) was opened at the Upper Lake, in Bhopal, back in 2016, with aid from the Indian Navy and the Yachting Association of India.

India's journey at the Olympics

India’s appearance in sailing at the Olympics was back in the 1972 Munich Games, with Soli Contractor and A.A Basith competing in the Flying Dutchman event, securing the 29th spot overall.

Since then, seven sailors have featured in quadrennial events across five editions, with the 2004 Athens Olympics being the last.

Farokh Tarapore and Kelly Rao’s 17th placed finish in the 470 class event at the 1983 Seoul Games has been the best ever finish for Indian sailors at the spectacle.

Here is the list of Indian sailors that featured at the Summer Olympics till now:

1972 Munich Games - Soli Contractor and AA Basith (Flying Dutchman Class) – finished at the 29th place.

1984 Los Angeles Games - Farokh Tarapore and Dhruv Bhandari (470 Class) – finished at the 27th place.

1988 Seoul Games - Farokh Tarapore and Kelly Rao (470 Class) – finished at the 17th position.

1992 Barcelona Games - Farokh Tarapore and Cyrus Cama (470 Class) – finished at the 23rd position.

2004 Athens Games - Malav Shroff and Sumeet Patel (49er Class) – finished at the 19th position.

2008 Beijing Games - Nachhatar Singh Johal (Finn Class) – finished at the 23rd position.

Meanwhile, Nethra Kumanan will feature in the women's Laser Radial Class at the upcoming 2021 Tokyo Games, while Vishnu Saravanan will compete in the Men's Laser Class. The duo of K.C. Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar are set to sail in the Men's 49er event.