As the Paris 2024 Olympic Games approach, Oceania's top sailors are gearing up for fierce competition on the waters of Marseille. The qualification process has been rigorous, with athletes earning their spots through various events including the 2023 Sailing World Championships in The Hague and continental qualifiers.

Australia leads the Oceania contingent with an impressive lineup of 12 athletes across 8 boat classes. Aotearoa also sends 12 athletes in 9 classes, while Fiji and Sāmoa have each qualified 2 athletes in single classes.

The Olympic sailing competition will kick off with the airborne Windsurfing (iQFOiL) events, followed closely by the high-octane Skiff races. These classes promise to showcase Oceania's talent right from the start.

In the Men's Windsurfing, Australia's Grae Morris will be one to watch. Having secured his spot at the 2023 Sailing World Championships, Morris will be looking to make waves in his Olympic debut.

The Women's Windsurfing event will see strong Oceania representation with Breiana Whitehead of Australia and Veerle Ten Have of New Zealand. Both sailors qualified through top performances at the World Championships and will be eager to medal for their respective countries.

Moving to the Skiff events, Australia's power duo of Jim Colley and Shaun Connor will take on the Men's 49er class. They'll face stiff competition from New Zealand's Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie, setting up a potential Trans-Tasman showdown.

In the Women's 49er FX, Australia's Olivia Price and Evie Haseldine will go head-to-head with New Zealand's Jo Aleh and Molly Meech. With both teams having secured their spots at the World Championships, expectations are high for podium finishes.

Fiji's Viliame Ratului and Sophia Morgan, along with Sāmoa's Eroni Leilua and Vaimoʻoiʻa Ripley, will be flying the flag for their island nations in the Men's and Women's Laser classes respectively. Their qualification through events like the Oceania continental qualifiers (2023 Sail Sydney) highlights the growing strength of sailing across the region.

We have a special thought to Tonga's first ever sailor to qualify for the Olympics, J. J. Rice, in the Formula Kite class who accidently died while freediving just weeks ago.

As the sailing events unfold over the course of the Olympics, Oceania's athletes will continue to feature prominently across all classes. From the Mixed Multihull Nacra 17 to the Mixed Dinghy 470, our region's sailors are poised to make a significant impact on the global stage.

The path to Paris has been long and challenging, but Oceania's sailors have proven they have what it takes to compete at the highest level. As they set sail in Marseille, they carry with them the hopes and dreams of their nations, ready to write the next chapter in our region's proud sailing history.