ESP Sailing Team
There are barely four months left for the celebration of the Olympic Games. and the logistics machinery of the ESP Sailing Team – Olympic Sailing Team – works against the clock
Nerves, enthusiasm and a lot of teamwork to assemble a complete puzzle of ships and materials that have been loaded in containers bound for Tokyo
When one thinks about what it means for an Olympic team to attend the Olympic Games to be held this summer in Japan, it does not usually fall into the “back room” that works against the clock, and containers with everything the material that athletes need this week is a sprint.
The CEAR Príncipe Felipe de Santander dawns in full swing on February 24. The first load heading to the Olympic village is ready and it is the “container-workshop”, converted to work in it. It’s packed with tools, fibers, repair material, etc., and has been customized to the needs of the Olympic team members. To take advantage of the load on it, several of the coaches’ tires will also be loaded.
Then, it was the turn of three more containers, where each team carefully loaded their boats –two per class-, masts, sails and other materials. The same athletes, technicians and CEAR staff are responsible for fitting a puzzle where there can be no missing or excess of a square meter.
It will be more than two months of traveling by merchant ship, from Bilbao – the departure port – to Japan, where it is expected that on May 1 it will arrive in the town of Yokohama. From that moment on, the customs process will begin, hoping that on May 18 the material of the Spanish team will see the Japanese light.
The ESP Sailing Team will send to Japan a total of 5 containers with all the material of the classes already classified for the Olympic Games: 470 men, 470 women, 49er, 49er FX, Nacra 17. In the case of the Finn class, For example, in which Spain will fight for its Olympic place in April, there is not enough time to send a container, so the boat will have to be transferred in a cargo plane in case of obtaining that long-awaited and worked place. For their part, male and female RS: X athletes will travel to Japan with their equipment on board the plane, as special luggage. A luggage that can exceed 70 kilos.
