For over 50 years, the best Olympic sailors have been meeting in Hyères in late April. In 2024, from 20 to 27 April, the 55th edition of the French Olympic Week will be a very special event, being the last major multi-series meeting for the world's best sailors before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The French Olympic Week in Hyères - Toulon Provence Méditerranée 2024 will feature two events:
The French Olympic Week will host the "Qualified Nations*" in Hyères harbour, with two participants for each nation and class.
The Last Chance Regatta, which will bring together the nations that have still to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and which will have a chance to secure the last 39 places still up for grabs.
All 10 Olympic classes will be competing in both events: ILCA (men's and women's single-handed dinghy), 49er (men's and women's skiff), Nacra 17 (mixed multihull), 470 (mixed double-handed dinghy), Formula Kite (men's and women's kitefoil), iQFOiL (men's and women's windsurfing).
90 different countries in Hyères
This exceptional line-up means that the SOF is set to break its record for the number of participating nations in Hyères. With nearly 1,000 athletes and 500 support staff from 90 countries across 5 continents, Toulon Provence Méditerranée's French Olympic Week will welcome around 20 nations more than its annual average figures. The prospect of securing the last 39 places at the Olympic Games is a high stakes event for these countries and promises to be a tale of joy and tears.
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The Semaine Olympique Française
The format of this year's SOF is therefore tailored to the year of the Olympic Games and of the highest level. With the Paris 2024 Games less than two months away, all the major national teams from the five continents, including an armada of Olympic medalists and world champions from Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, China, Croatia, Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy, the United States and Argentina, along with France, will be keen to shine and leave their mark in a format very much like that of the Olympic Games.
The Last Chance Regatta
The Last Chance Regatta will be open to nations that have not yet qualified to take part in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At the end of this regatta, which will also be contested across the 10 Olympic classes, 39 spots will be allocated. This means 3 places per class, except in kiteboarding and iQFOiL where there will be 5 places for both men and women, and 4 places for the mixed double-handed dinghy (470).
Watch out for the exceptional event taking place in Hyères from 20 to 27 April 2024!
* Nations qualified to take part in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games