So long, dear Soling

Peter Bentley reports as ISAF's head honcho puts the last nail in the coffin of the Soling's Olympic dreams

The Soling's bid to be reinstated in the Olympics has been dealt a fatal blow. Voting by members of the ISAF council has determined that the subject of Olympic equipment for 2004 will not be on the agenda for the mid-year meetings.
Of the 38 voting members of the ISAF Council, 29 voted in favour of the Executive Committee Recommendation that no further discussion should take place while eight voted against. There was one abstention.

This effectively ensures that the classes decided upon at last year's November meeting in Edinburgh are confirmed for Athens in 2004.

Describing the actions of the Soling class as "a very intense and intimidating campaign to re-open the selection", ISAF chief Paul Henderson must be mightily relieved that "the most negative situation I have encountered in 30 years of service to ISAF", has been resolved without need for further combat action.