Huntingdon sailor Giles Scott retains Team GB place for delayed Tokyo Olympics

Giles Scott won gold in the Men's Finn class at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, BrazilCredit: British Sailing

The Olympic Games in Tokyo may be postponed until next year because of the Coronavirus, but there's one of the region's athletes who knows he can prepare without pressure.

That's Huntingdon sailor Giles Scott, with the British Olympic Association (BOA) announcing that Team GB's sailing squad chosen for the games will be retained.

It'll allow Scott, who'll be 34, to defend his title in the Men's Finn class after winning gold in Rio, Brazil four years ago.

Scott, who now lives in Hampshire and is based at the British Sailing Team's headquarters in Weymouth, is one of fifteen sailors chosen for the ten classes.

The squad in full

  • Giles Scott: Finn (Men’s One Person Dinghy Heavy)

  • Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre: 470 Women (Women’s Two Person Dinghy)

  • Luke Patience and Chris Grube: 470 Men (Men’s Two Person Dinghy)

  • Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey: 49erFX (Women’s Skiff)

  • Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell: 49er (Men’s Skiff)

  • Elliot Hanson: Laser (Men’s One Person Dinghy)

  • Alison Young: Laser Radial (Women’s One Person Dinghy)

  • Emma Wilson: RS:X Women (Women’s Windsurfer)

  • Tom Squires: RS:X Men (Men’s Windsurfer)

  • John Gimson and Anna Burnet: Nacra 17 (Mixed Multihull)

In light of the postponement announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) the BOA asked the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) to consider and confirm its position regarding the selection of athletes for Team GB.

A meeting held by the RYA Olympic Selection Committee (OSC) unanimously agreed that the selections previously agreed should stand for the rearranged Tokyo Olympic Games, which will take place from July 23 to August 8 next year.

It was the OSC’s view that the sailors selected in all ten Olympic classes remain the best choices to maximise Team GB’s medal-winning potential in Enoshima, the sailing competition venue.