The 1996 Olympic sailing program featured ten classes raced off Savannah, Georgia, marking one of the sport's largest Olympic schedules to that point.
Key Facts
- Number of sailing classes
- 10
- Competition dates
- 22 July – 2 August 1996
- Venue
- Wassaw Sound, Atlantic Ocean off Savannah
- Races per class (standard)
- 11
- Soling fleet races
- 10 fleet races + matchraces for top 6
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Sailing has been an Olympic sport since the 1896 Athens Games, appearing on every Olympic schedule except 1904 and the canceled 1916 Games. Its continued inclusion reflects the sport's established international federation and global competitive base.
At the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, sailing events were held off the coast of Savannah at Wassaw Sound from 22 July to 2 August. Ten classes competed, with eleven races scheduled per class except the Soling, which used ten fleet races followed by matchraces among the top six finishers.
The ten-class format provided broad representation across sailing disciplines, and the Soling's hybrid fleet-race and matchrace format distinguished it from all other classes, influencing how subsequent Olympic sailing competitions were structured before the Soling was eventually removed from the program.