Olympics-Sailing-British medals machine faces French test with new events

MARSEILLE - Britain's sailing team, which have dominated Olympic medals for decades, face a new challenge in defending their crown with the advent of new events in 2024, their leader Mark Robinson said.

With a record 30 golds and 63 sailing medals in total -- including 21 silver and 12 bronze -- Olympic statistics show Britain have won more than any other national team since the sport's Games debut in 1900.

"Our government target is still three to five medals of any colour," Robinson told Reuters in Marseille on the eve of the 2024 Games. Britain's success on the water has ensured tens of millions of pounds of funding for the team.

UK Sport says on their website that in the 2021-2025 period, sailing will have received 22.8 million pounds ($29.3 million), exclusive of any awards paid directly to athletes towards their living and sporting costs.

"The challenge always is with the history of the British sailing team is (being) top nation, which means golds," he said at the Mediterranean marina from where racing starts on July 28.

Robinson said that the French were "quite dominant" and new board classes such as Formula Kite and iQFOiL windsurfing, disciplines in which France has a strong tradition, had helped as they had recruited from existing professional circuits.

For the British, it was a question of "starting from scratch and converting from other classes", he said, adding that the French team could also have some home advantage.

France rank third in the overall Olympic sailing medal standings, behind the United States in second.

"There's enough capability in the team to meet the government target ... some would say there's more," Robinson said, despite the strength of other teams and losing the 470 women's and Finn men's dinghy events, which they had dominated.

As the top nation, Robinson said, it was all about the trajectory in the Games build-up.

"We're going in fairly strong. There's lots of other countries that ... potentially could win two gold medals, but nothing else. The Dutch could win both skiffs."

"Can we win five medals? Sure," said Robinson, who has led the British sailing team for seven years and run four national teams during 25 years in the sport.

"Can we win a bit more? Maybe if the dice rolls the right way (and) the weather conditions favour us," he added.

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